Ash Ketchum's Master Quest
by Vishnu Elayath
Summary: The story of a young boy who was misunderstood as the bringer of disaster. What will happen when pre-planned and crafted situations makes him tough and he gets ready for his destiny?Come and learn how Ash Ketchum becomes who he must be.
1. Chapter 1

This is my new story. I hope all my readers shall be satisfied with my work. Suggestions are always welcome. Thank You.

**ASH KETCHUM'S MASTER QUEST**

PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER ONE

_There are countless stars in the universe and countless planets revolving around them. The objects revolving around planets are called satellites._

_Earth is a planet that revolves around a star known as Sun along with a few other planets. Due to this system of planets' centre being Sun, it got the name of Solar System. Earth has one satellite-Moon._

_In spite of the huge number of planets all around, what makes Earth different from most of them-Yes, most of them-is that Earth has the ability to hold life. Earth sustains Humans and Pokémon. Pokémon are creatures that can adapt to and control various natural elements and help humans to sustain balance of the world. _

_There are hundreds of different Pokémon species. Each having their own pros and cons. From the weak to the strong, small to large, prey to predator, each and every Pokémon species serve a purpose and balance out each other._

_Now most other planets if not all do not possess this characteristic of holding life. How this difference happened is explained in a legend._

_It is said that the different worlds get destroyed after a certain amount of time and then they are recreated. Creation and Destruction are two ends of a same point. Everything between a creation and the next destruction is life._

_At the point of time when one such creation was in process, a strange object was created out of it. Something that radiated a huge amount of energy. It pulsated with each change in the universe and attracted every power towards itself. It was unaffected by the destruction around it and instead grew powerful by adapting to them._

_It was an oval object-an egg. It gained every power of the universe. After the process of destruction was completed, the shell of the massive egg broke and out came the Supreme Being. The Alpha. The first ever life-__**ARCEUS.**__ A Pokémon._

_From time it was in the egg, the primordial soul had gained the virtues of Strength, Intelligence, Kindness, Will, Emotions, Truth, Compassion, Knowledge and many others._

_He had the power to create and destroy. He was to rule everything. But there was a problem; there was no one else to accept his superiority. This gave way to Arceus creating some other beings and some special worlds for them to live in._

_Palkia-The Ruler of Space and the deity of creations._

_Dialga-The Ruler of Time and the deity of sustenance._

_Giratina-The Ruler of Reverse World and the deity of Destruction._

_The three beings gave the Alpha Pokémon company and ruled things assigned to them. Each of them was given a separate portal to live._

_Arceus then created a sphere and located it between a few planets that revolved around Sun. He named it Earth. He created a few more Pokémon out of his power._

_Groudon-A Pokémon which then created land._

_Kyogre-One who filled the places between the lands with water._

_An argument started between the two regarding the importance of their creation and they started to fight._

_When Arceus witnessed the fight, he grew furious. From his fury, a new Pokémon came to birth. It unleashed its powers on the two fighting Pokémon to stop and led them to long slumbers below trenches in the lands and seas respectively. This Pokémon came to be known as Rayquaza. To reward Rayquaza's great assistance, Arceus conferred upon him the title of Emperor of Skies._

_From the love Arceus had shown towards his creations, a small cute Pokémon was born-Mew. Arceus bestowed her some of his powers and ordered her to create more Pokémon for the world. Arceus also created three Pokemon- Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf-the representations of knowledge, emotion and willpower respectively_

_When he saw that Pokémon struggled to live on the earth, Arceus create two new beings of a species he had created specially. Humans. He gifted them the ability to speak and gave them high intelligence but made them weak comparatively so as to create a balance and a bond between humans and Pokémon. These Pokémon then started to be known as Legendaries._

_Arceus then created a divine portal for himself known as the Hall Of Origin and went into a long slumber._

_Mew went on to create new kinds of Pokémon from her own DNA. She created other legendaries and assigned them various jobs all over the world. _

_Regigigas was created to mould the lands properly and arrange them in an order necessary. He was given three Pokémon as assistants. Regirock, Regice and Registeel who were made of the elements their names spoke of._

_Shaymin and Celebi were to create and protect forests._

_Ho-oh and Lugia were to overlook protect the humans and Pokemon on the land and sea respectively. They were given assistants who represented Fire, Electricity and Water/Ice._

_Ho-oh's assistants were Entei, Raikou and Suicune while Lugia got Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno._

_Mew also volunteered to create some other Legendaries for random jobs and at the end started a creation spree of common Pokémon._

_She learned that Arceus and all of his creations had a type assigned to them So Mew assigned different types to her creations. In all Seventeen Types._

_Normal_

_Fighting_

_Ghost_

_Dark_

_Fire_

_Water_

_Electricity_

_Ice_

_Bug_

_Grass_

_Ground_

_Rock_

_Steel_

_Flying_

_Dragon_

_Psychic_

_Poison_

_Different kinds of Pokémon of these types filled the world. The world was at a balance with the tie up of Pokémon and Humans._

_Humans with their intelligence, learned about the different aspects of nature and Pokémon alike. They invented and discovered many things. Humans advanced in technology and the system of living in groups was established._

_Different aspects of life like trade, farming, Pokémon husbandry etc came into being. Then there were rulers, warriors. To deal with problems relating to nature, Pokémon and humans alike, there were two exclusive classes. The toughest jobs in the Pokémon world-Pokémon Rangers and Aura Guardians._

_Later as world changed more and more, ideas like democracy came into being. Battles between tamed Pokémon started being considered as entertainment and soon turned into a huge business._

_Special balls were created to capture Pokémon in them. The wielders of these devices were known as Pokémon Trainers. They would travel different places, capture Pokémon and train them to battle against each other and determine who was stronger._

_An organization of Pokémon trainers was formed and it was named the Pokémon League. They regulated Pokémon battling and spread out into five regions known as Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova. They created the rules on Pokémon which prevailed in all the regions._

_To avoid the problems of Pokémon theft and to help the trainers and researchers to study Pokémon, Professor Samuel Oak a Researcher and a former Champion of Kanto League Competition invented a special device known as Pokédex. _

_Pokédex was an electronic encyclopedia which could scan Pokemon to register their images, basic information, level of growth, different moves they knew, abilities, gender, health status and also whether a Pokémon is wild. The Pokédex also served as an identification of its registered user._

_Along with Pokédex, an electronic system of preserving Pokémon was created. The system allowed only six Pokémon at a time to be held by beginning trainers. The rest could be stored in the electronic storage which acted as a virtual image of the Pokémon's natural habitat. It would heal them and let them be in a suspended animation avoiding thefts and other complications._

_The Pokémon League started becoming a huge business and became a major revenue earner for the regions. The League was headed by the eldest male in the Goodshow family. They were extremely rich and had power to control the regions._

_They were helped by specially selected people. A Champion and four Elite Trainers in each League. These people were selected through a rigorous competition. The contestants were to collect eight Badges from Pokémon Gyms all over the regions created to test and select the best trainers._

_The ones who gained eight badges were then allowed into the League. There, a competition would be held among them and the one who emerges victorious at last would get an opportunity to battle the Elite Four and the Champion._

_If a contestant loses to one of these, he or she could rightfully claim the title of the previous elite they defeated. Beating the champion in a Pokémon Battle gave way to the coveted title._

_But few people knew that there was another title beyond this level. A prestigious one given only to the trainers who can beat the Elites and Champion of at least three regional Leagues. The title would automatically lead the person to have control over the Leagues and he would be considered an equal to the Goodshows. This prestigious position was of Pokémon Master._

_Till now there are only two known Pokémon Masters-Master Red from Kanto and Master Ethan from Johto. The title was for life. It would never go away even if defeated by a new person for the title._

The young raven haired boy closed his book with a sigh. He had read it countless times but the repetitions never bored him. And strangely, he had read the remaining parts of the book only once. Finding this part the most interesting.

His name was Ash Ketchum.

He was of thirteen years. He had a fair skin and was of above average stature with a height around five feet and he weighed ninety pounds. His hairs were messy and would never be kept down. He had two 'z' shaped lines below his eyes.

Currently he wore green and yellow pajamas and had the handbook regarding the basic information about Pokémon. Although a normal thirteen year old in looks, this boy was completely different in most other aspects.

He loved Pokémon and everything relating to Pokémon. Ever since he had remembered, he had been able to see numerous Pokémon thanks to the status of his parents. His father Silver was once a League champion of Johto region and currently he was a mix of Archeologist and a Researcher. Ash's mother Delia was also a former trainer and run a Pokémon day care centre-cum-spa at Pallet town in Kanto region which was where Ash lived.

Ash's love for Pokémon was noticed early on by his parents and their neighbor, the world famous inventor of Pokédex, Professor Samuel Oak. Ash was a regular visitor at the spa and Oak's Ranch to meet the various Pokémon and always hung around them.

Today, Ash was excited and nervous simultaneously. Tomorrow was his fourteenth birthday. Now anyone would doubt why to be nervous about one's own birthday. For Ash, this birthday was different. He was to receive a Pokémon tomorrow. Although the legal age for a trainer to start a journey was fifteen years, one could get a Pokémon and register themselves at the age of thirteen.

Ash's parents had him wait so that they could make sure he was ready to handle a journey all alone. For this purpose, he had been studying under the watchful eyes of Prof. Oak. Ash had been made to assist the old Professor in his works at the ranch and a laboratory attached to it.

Ash was to feed the different Pokémon, take care of the eggs by polishing them daily and letting them have warmth of sunlight, clean the ranch, help the Professor in paper works, transfer Pokémon to the trainers who preserved them at Oak's ranch instead of the electronic system and many other odd jobs.

In return, Ash was allowed to read any book from the vast library the Professor maintained in his Lab. The collection was updated every time any potential book was published. This proved quite beneficial for Ash as he could get knowledge more than any other child in the town; even Gary Oak the Professor's grandson.

Gary was Ash's friend till a year ago when he got his first Pokémon-a Squirtle, the water type starter Pokémon of the Kanto region. Since then, Gary had turned into an arrogant idiot who would gloat about his grandfather being a professor and that he himself would become a Pokémon Master.

Ash had chosen to simply ignore the guy to avoid any problems. He had devoted his time to study and work for Professor Oak knowing that all these experience and knowledge he was gaining would mould him into a good trainer.

He was working at the lab for a year now and would stay for another year gladly so he could read the remaining books in the library. Although Ash didn't have his Pokémon, he was able to understand the basics of Pokémon training from his parents. Prof. Oak helped him hone his skills even more.

Ash had learnt about different types of Pokémon, various species, types of moves and their effects, weather conditions, abilities, natures and their effect in battles. He had also studied the origin, lifestyles and behavior of different Pokémon extensively.

For two years now, Ash was also learning something he never imagined he would have to-Cooking. He was a natural disaster at that field. The first few times in kitchen had been really unforgettable as he had once burnt his Omelets and also got some cuts and bruises while using a knife

But his mother was an expert cook and had volunteered to teach Ash and had forced him into cooking so that he would be able to survive in his journey without much trouble. She had taught him the basics of cooking like how to arrange things for easy use, what all materials to use, utensils and cutleries necessary, how to mash berries for different flavors, etc.

Then Delia had advanced to teaching Ash how to prepare basic dishes like Sandwiches, Omelets, Steak, Bacon and Scrambled eggs. From there, Ash had picked up the things and he started reading about cooking and trying new recipes like Fried rice, Ramen with crushed berries, sweet dishes like berry cakes etc.

As for his school, he had gotten himself a diploma in Pokémon Psychology which was a course to study in a year. Due to his vast knowledge and experience, Ash had aced all his exams and had maintained an average of 92% throughout his studies. Now he was trying to earn an Honorary Masters Degree in the same field.

He looked at the pages paragraph he had written before reading his handbook.

_POKEMON BEHAVIOUR-A DEEP STUDY_

_Pokémon is the collective name for the living beings we find on earth other than humans. The world has always been on a partnership between humans and Pokémon. The invention of Pokédex and Poke balls increased the efficiency of trainers._

_But with this, came a whole lot of new problems. Some Pokémon misunderstood the use of Poke balls as trying to capture them as slaves. This was also fueled by the people who abuse Pokémon._

_Pokémon Poachers who use nets, cages, electric tasers and collars to control Pokémon made things worse. Many Pokémon started viewing humans as evil. This disrupted the partnership between Pokémon and Humans._

_This problem was solved by famous trainers like Master Red, Professor Samuel Oak, Professor Brendan Birch and Master Ethan._

_These prodigious personalities used their influence all over the regions and Leagues. They made the Leagues have strict rules on Pokémon capturing. Pokémon poaching an abuse were made non-bailable offenses and were given strict punishments including stripping the trainer's license._

_The rare, expensive Poke balls that had higher catch rates i.e. the higher possibility to have a successful captures were made available only to trainers above a certain age and status or if recommended by an authority like regional Professor or the other League executives and elites._

_The production of MASTER BALL, a very special Poke ball that would capture any Pokémon in any case, was limited and only the Pokémon Masters and Goodshows were given access to it. They could use them or give them away but only with proper records maintained and only to trainers above a certain limit._

_The rare Pokémon and the ones who had dwindled due to poaching were given special habitats to live. They are cared for and made trust humans according to the behavior. Vacation spots, day care centers, spas, resorts, restaurants and parks were opened up exclusively for Pokemon and their trainers. This allowed the Pokémon to enjoy with trainers thus trusting and bonding with them._

_Master Red set an example by letting his Pikachu stay out of his Poke ball all the time as the little electric type hated Poke balls._

_Even today, some Pokémon tend to be afraid of humans due to:-_

_1-Them being weak._

_2-The Pokémon seeing humans as evil._

_3-Past harsh experiences with humans._

_4-Methods of capture being on the lines of poaching._

_5-Pokemon Abuse._

_Some wild Pokémon seem to dislike human trained while some love battling the trained one to gain experience or to test themselves. A captured Pokémon may sometimes disobey its trainer if:-_

_1-It thinks the trainer to be weak or unworthy._

_2-The Pokémon is strong and arrogant about its powers._

_3-The Pokémon doesn't trust the trainer._

_In such a case, the trainer might have to prove himself to the Pokémon and get it to work with him._

_A Pokémon's personality is also affected by its type and nature._

_For example, a Pokémon with Adamant nature might be stubborn and would love battling. On the other hand, a Timid or Sassy natured Pokémon would be a bit more introvert._

_Regarding types, Fire and Dragon types generally love battling and harsh trainings while Ghost types love playing pranks and Normal types prefer eating sleeping and playing._

_But these are always random and many times one out of the type and nature turns out to be dominant and thus determines the personality. This is proved by the example of Elite Trainer Agatha's Gengar who loves to battle than playing pranks._

_The surrounding environment for wild Pokémon and trainer's personality for the captured ones also play an important role. Some situations make the Pokémon to fight and be tough while some make them timid and afraid. Similarly, a trainer's attitude, style and personality can rub off his Pokémon._

_For example, Professor Samuel Oak's Dragonite who is a destructive battler prefers taking care of young Pokémon and helping others in free time_

"Phew. That was tiresome. I need to sleep now. It is already 10 p.m. Mom and Dad must be asleep by now.", Ash sighed as he started putting away his books and thesis. He smiled at the thought of getting a Pokémon the next day and smiled while lying down on his bed.

An off white quadruped cat Pokémon poked its head into the room and looked at the boy lying on the bed. The Pokémon's whiskers shook slightly and a red gem on its forehead blinked as he walked away from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd started a Poll for deciding what Pokémon Ash must start with.**

**I got 35 votes in all and it is pretty cool.**

**The results are as follows:-**

**Riolu-16 votes**

**Ralts-6**

**Gible-4**

**Eevee-3**

**Charmander and Munchlax-2 each**

**Treecko and Larvesta-1 each**

**Togepi, Chimchar and Shinx-NIL**

**Now I never knew people love the idea of Ash's starter being Riolu this much. I have prepared this chapter accordingly.**

**Any person who voted for Pokémon other than Riolu don't have to be sad as Ash will get these Pokémon at different point of times. And Togepi will be in the infamous anime episode of Grandpa Canyon.**

**Now to reviews:-**

**Arijone: Silver and some of his details are given in this chapter along with a tragic past of Ash. That is my imagination and will have a storyline relating to it. I shall make sure that I update from time to time without taking long gaps unless in an emergency like exams or illness. I am starting another poll which is about the pairing in the story. You can vote for your choice from the options I shall provide. And thank you very much for your support.**

**I Love Dolphins: I hope you had voted in the poll.**

** .330: Now that the starter is decided, you will have one of your suggestions automatically accepted. And I won't let Ash have all the Pokémon you mentioned. Some of your suggested options would be there while some with other characters. And a few shall be avoided completely.**

**majoramiruddin: I guess you are talking about the points in the thesis and that some of them were in the book Ash was reading. But that repetition was necessary. To remedy that, I had added some extra things in the thesis.**

CHAPTER TWO-THE AWAITED BIRTHDAY

Today is 9th of July 2564.

Fourteen years ago, on this same day, in the region of Hoenn:-

_A man was pacing back and forth a corridor nervously. His name was Stephen Ketchum. He was tall, handsome and muscular. His hairs were messy and colored black with a tint of silver to them. This was what gained him the name he was known by-Silver!_

_The name itself could make people buckle in fear and back away from battles. Silver was one of those battlers who would be a nightmare to many for he was the League Champion of Johto region and defeated only by his friendly rival Master Ethan who was fondly called Gold._

_Their nicknames fuelled their rivalry and they became terrifying opponents for anyone. Silver had everything he needed. A great career as a Champion, a good side business of Archeology, Masters Degree in Pokémon Archeology and Legends, happy parents, a loving wife and great in laws._

_But this all lead to why he was apprehensive right now. He was at a hospital. In a room nearby, was his wife. She was to deliver a baby. Silver hoped everything went right. He was not with his wife because the delivery of the baby was not normal but through a surgery and the doctors had strictly opposed with anyone being in the Operation Theatre._

_An older couple stood near the theatre just as tense as Silver. They were Silver's wife Delia's parents. Delia's cousin, an Elite Four member of the Hoenn region was to arrive at the hospital soon._

_The small red bulb that was glowing above the door of the theatre was switched off and a Doctor stepped out. He was pursued by a nurse who held a small baby wrapped in a white towel._

"_Congratulations Mr. Ketchum. Your wife has given birth to a baby boy. They both are hale and hearty and out of harm's way right now although your wife is under sedation.", the Doctor smiled at Silver._

_The nurse handed over the baby to him with a smile, "Congratulations Sir."_

"_Thank you very much.", Silver spoke with tear filled eyes._

_The Doctor and nurse walked away after bowing to the Champion. Silver looked at his son. His first born, "Ash.", he smiled and kissed the baby's forehead._

_Right then, he saw something move in the corner of the corridor. He gazed sharply and saw a Pokémon standing there. It was quadruped and had snow white fur. Its face was black and a long black scythe grew from one side of its head. The Pokémon's prickly claws and scythe twinkled a bit and its tail quivered on looking at Ash._

"_Absol!", It gave a growl and slowly walked towards Silver all the while looking only at Ash._

_That day had been a hell. People who saw Absol in the hospital claimed it to be foreseeing a disaster. To make things worse, the Disaster Pokémon's proximity to Silver, his wife Delia and their son Ash was deemed to be a bad omen and that Ash's birth would lead to some disaster._

_This was contradicted by the Absol's trainer Sydney who turned out to be Delia's cousin. He elucidated that Absol can see future and can sense the changes in nature. He also told that this time, Absol had sensed a massive explosion of Aura and a very strong presence making him curious to investigate._

_These events made the couple leave the hospital with their son and migrate to Kanto Region. Silver gave up his title of the Johto Champion and turned to a full time Archeologist and Researcher. His wife Delia started a Day Care Centre-cum-Spa for the Pokémon based on the guidelines and rules of the Pokémon League prepared by Master Red, Professor Oak and Silver's friend Master Gold._

_They had devoted their life into their works and raising their son properly so that they could forget the past. Their efforts had been rewarding as Ash turned out to be quite a special mould. He had inherited intelligence and bravery from Silver while hard work, patience and manners from Delia._

_With each passing year, Ash would grow better and better. His love for Pokémon was incomparable. And this year finally, he would get his own Pokémon._

The alarm clock whirred and buzzed as it hit the Six a.m. mark. Ash got up groggily but when he remembered about the day's importance, he shot out of his bed. He quickly seized a fresh set of clothes and scuttled into the bathroom.

After brushing his teeth and a good shower, Ash stepped out wearing new clothes. He wore a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. The shirt was full sleeved and had an etching of a Lucario's face on the torso. He kept the collar raised and wore a jacket over the shirt. It was again black but had dark blue linings along its buttons, sleeves and wrists. A bit of the white shirt sleeves extended out of the jacket making it look even better.

His hairs were messy even after a shower. To keep them well, Ash wore a cap. The cap was blood red with a white Poke ball symbol on it. Ash also wore fingerless gloves of light red color.

He walked down to the kitchen for breakfast. But when he reached there, the rooms were empty. Ash walked to the kitchen and saw his mother's Mr. Mime cleaning the dishes.

Mr. Mime was a humanoid Pokémon with two five-fingered hands that were larger than humans. It had long black ears that extended from the sides of its head. Mr. Mime also had two pink circles on its cheeks. Its hands and legs were skinny.

Even though a good battler in the past, the kind psychic type had taken a liking to cooking and gardening. So he always helped around the Ketchum residence doing such jobs.

Ash took hold of some Oran berries and mashed them with Tropius fruits before boiling some cornflakes with Miltank milk. He opened the bottle of Vespiquen honey and took hold of a pinch powdered Blue Star leaves.

Blue Star leaves were actually a mild toxin found throughout the known regions. But Ash had found a special way to get rid of the toxic feature. He had learnt that boiling the leaves or using them raw along with boiled milk negated the poisoning effects.

He had also learnt that new born Pokémon up to the age of three months were unaffected by the toxin. Also, if a Pokémon eats the Blue Star leaves throughout these three months, it would become completely immune to the poison later on.

The reason he did all the experiments and took the efforts to find these methods was that, the Blue Star leaves were like booster vitamins. They worked excellently on humans and Pokémon alike. When used with vitamins, the leaves reacted with them to increase the effect.

Pokémon who consume the leaves raw since birth would gain strange color scheme and also healthier physique. Their bodies would grow faster than usual. The consumption of Blue Star leaves also helped enhance poison type moves.

Ash mixed the berries, cornflakes, milk and Tropius fruits and then poured the honey over it. The crushed Blue Star leaves were boiled and dried so they wouldn't rot and could be stored for over a year. The powder was sprinkled on the mixture.

He picked up the bowl containing his own created special sweet dish and separated a portion from it for someone who loved the stuff just like him.

"Speak of the devil.", Ash smirked as he saw a large head poking through the window of the kitchen.

It was a Dragon Pokémon. The head was blue and adorned large spikes beside the mouth and sharp fangs. The Salamence was one of his father's signature Pokémon. Although a natural predator and omnivore, the Dragon absolutely loved Ash's cooking. Ash picked up another bowl for the Pokémon and walked towards the backyard of his house.

The huge quadruped flying type stretched its wings and growled at Ash. It slowly started devouring the contents of his bowl. Ash looked on as he stood at the door eating his own portion.

After he finished eating, Ash cleaned the bowls and walked out of his house and towards the Oak's Ranch.

As he walked, he saw a Pokémon running to the other direction. He knew it was going to his mom's spa. The Pokémon was small and light green in color. It had a large leaf on its head and it ran slowly.

"Hey Chikorita", Ash bent down to pat the Pokémon who nuzzled into his hand and licked it slightly.

"Tell Mom I said Hi ok? And remind Dad that I'm waiting. I don't want another patience test.", he pouted.

Chikorita was the other signature Pokémon of Silver and was his starter. Although small, it was a powerhouse.

As the grass type nodded and ran away, Ash sighed and got up from his crouching position and started walking towards the ranch.

"Good Morning Professor.", Ash greeted Prof. Oak as he entered the lab and walked towards the library.

"Morning Ash. You are going straight to the library?", the Professor looked surprised.

"I want to find something there Professor."

"What is so important Ash? Recently, you have been spending too much time in the library. Is there some problem?", the old researcher asked kindly.

I have never told you about it but sometimes I feel like I'm seeing strange things. When I close my eyes, I can feel the things and people around me.", Ash spoke in a voice filled with confusion.

Seeing his serious expression, the professor became worried, "Can you tell me the details Ash? May be I can help or at least get help for you."

"I feel something burning inside me always. When I close eyes, I feel the similar energy everywhere but still it is different because what I feel inside is totally flaring while in others, it's dormant. Whenever I feel my emotions changing, the energy flickers in different manners. What is it Professor? I was hoping to find some answers from the library."

"Wait. I have heard about this. Aura. That's what it is called. The energy you feel everywhere is the Aura. I have a book with me. It is said that only Aura users can read the scripts. And there are also many blank pages that need the ability to use Aura. Let's see whether you can read them."

Professor Oak went inside his personal locker room and brought an old looking book. But surprisingly, the book was not at all torn or tattered.

Ash took the book and opened it. He could see some strange script in it. When he turned a few pages, he saw a blank page. Suddenly something shifted inside him and he felt a blue layer covering his irises. Deep blue letters appeared on the blank page.

Professor Oak looked at the young boy's shining blue eyes in awe. He had never seen such a phenomenon. Suddenly the blue color brightened and then died down.

"What just happened?", Oak stood wonderstruck.

"I…I saw some things written in it Professor. It suddenly appeared out of nowhere.", Ash was equally confused.

The door of the lab opened and a muscular man came in. He wore greenish shirt and brown cargoes. The Chikorita Ash met early stood proudly on the man's shoulder. He was followed by a lady of the same age. She wore pink blouse and blue skirt and kept her brown hairs tied into a ponytail.

"Mom, Dad!", Ash exclaimed.

"Happy Birthday Ash.", the two smiled warmly as the three shared a hug.

"Sooo… whats my gift?", Ash asked smugly.

"Persian, bring it here.", Silver commanded in his booming voice.

The cat Pokémon who checked on Ash at night walked in with a cloth bag in his mouth. There was a small box in the bag. Silver picked up the box and held it out to Ash, "Here. Your gift. Its precious and rare. Be careful with it."

Ash opened the box and held his breath as he saw a brand new Poke ball in it.

Slowly, he picked up the ball and pressed its centre button. The ball snapped open and a white light was emitted which slowly died down.

Ash was stunned when he saw the small blue bipedal Pokémon in front of him. The Pokémon appeared to have a black mask over its eyes. Its ears pointed upwards and it had two hanging appendages behind its head.

The Pokémon stood on its toes and looked curiously at Ash and then gasped, "Riolu!"

**And that ends chapter two. Read and review please. All suggestions are welcome. Now I am starting another poll for deciding the pairing in the story.**

**I have some things to tell regarding that:-**

**1-Misty and Iris won't be paired with Ash because I always hated those two.**

**2-Only the girls who had major roles would be the choices.**

**3-The rating of the story is K+ so no lemons or anything of that sort.**

**4-I won't count the votes on this topic given in reviews. If you want to choose one, go to the poll.**

**Now about something new. Kanto region won't house just the first 150 Pokémon. Similarly each region will have Pokémon native to other regions. It was not so in the anime because they could not reveal the Pokémon of next generations as it would ruin the longevity of the anime. The reason all regions will have these Pokémon is Migration, Breeding, Pokémon reserves, Distribution of Pokémon by the League etc. But these Pokémon would still be rare out of their home regions and not all Pokémon would be available.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again everyone.**

**I was quite disappointed with my new poll because I did not get much of a response. Only 13 votes in total.**

**They were distributed as follows:-**

**Cynthia-5**

**Dawn-4**

**May-2**

**Leaf Green-1**

**Anabel-1**

**I had told that girls with major roles would be the options and four out of the five pass that criterion. I couldn't help but add Leaf Green for fun. She's actually a character used in many fics as one of the other trainers who started from Pallet along with Ash and Gary. But now it seems as if Cynthia won. I'll think over how and where to introduce her and shall insert the character. And I've got a very nice history for her character also.**

**Now to reviews:-**

**Dark Mephiles: You see? The major roles I had mentioned meant important roles. That's to avoid girls of little to no importance like Bianca, Flannery, Duplica, etc.**

**Then I took your suggestion and have made changes now. I hope you like them. Just tell me your opinion.**

CHAPTER THREE-THE DESTINED PARTNER AND THE PATH OF AURA

Ash bent down to meet Riolu's gaze who looked on inquisitively at Ash.

"Hey there Riolu. I'm Ash Ketchum. I wish to be a Pokémon Master. Would you become my friend and help me achieve my dream? We'll get stronger together.", Ash grinned at the little fighting type.

On hearing the word 'stronger', Riolu amplified its eyes and nodded robustly with a growl.

"Great. We shall be partners from now on.", Ash extended his hand to pat his Pokémon's head. But misinterpreting Ash's gesture for something it had seen earlier, Riolu extended its paw initiating an accidental high-five.

Suddenly the time seemed to stop. A blue light flashed in the gap between the two palms. The blue spread into the duo's eyes and Ash felt himself being sucked into a black hole along with Riolu.

"Ahhh! What the hell is this?", Ash yelled as he pummeled into a free fall through the dark portal. Riolu had closed its eyes and hugged Ash tightly.

Then at last, they settled and Ash opened his eyes slowly. He gasped on seeing himself in a forest area which had a palace towering in between it. There was a sign board and a few words scribbled in a strange pattern.

Ash recognized the pattern as Unown-the Sign Pokémon. He knew that Unown designs were used as alphabets in long lost past and that it gave way to the emergence of modern day scripts.

Although reluctantly, Ash had learned reading the Unown signs. He had never felt it to be important. But now he thanked Professor Oak internally for teaching him.

He read the board and translated it as 'CAMERON PALACE'.

"A palace huh?", Ash tapped his chin lightly. He pondered over the thought of a palace and Unown language before putting two and two together, "That's it! We are in an ancient time. Unown language and the palace make sure of that."

He felt Riolu climbing up his shoulder and holding the back of his head for support and nodding at Ash's statement. Ash walked towards the palace gates and tried pushing it. He recoiled harshly when his hand went through the gate instead of opening it.

Riolu growled in surprise before leaping onto Ash's arm and tried nudging the gate but the result was same as before. The trainer and Pokémon looked at each other before nodding simultaneously.

Taking a deep breath, Ash walked through the gate and towards the palace. He could see men dressed in strange armors guarding the entrance. But on getting no reaction when he faced them, Ash deduced that they couldn't see him and his partner.

Ash walked into an enormous hall carrying Riolu on his shoulder and saw a man kneeling in front of a woman. The woman was seated on a throne and was covered in expensive clothing and jewelry along with a gold crown.

"Must be some Queen.", Ash muttered to Riolu while pulling the Pokémon into his arms. He walked forward holding Riolu to face the man.

Ash and Riolu gasped when they saw the person. He was handsome and lean. He wore a strange dress consisting of grey shirt and pants along with a dark blue armor, gloves, boots and a strange hat of the same color. His gloves had a gem in each of them. He also had a cloak over his shoulders. The man held a staff that had two ponyta-shoes like appendages on the tip crossing each other and a glowing blue gem in the centre of the tip.

He felt the gem's glow to be similar to the energy he was able to feel.

"Aura was what Prof. Oak called it right?", Ash hummed slightly.

But what had shocked Ash was the man's striking resemblance to him. Riolu held Ash's face scrutinizing it and looked at the elder man and widened its eyes in shock. The only difference between the two was of age. Ash smiled kindly at the young Pokémon's innocent actions.

Ash felt the man's Aura flaring exactly like his but brighter and in more control. This one didn't flicker a bit even with the sadness that was evident on the man's face.

"Queen Rin, give me your permission. Let me do this to stop the armies. Mew will do the rest. Allow me My Lady.", the man spoke in a calm voice.

Ash looked on in awe at the man's uncompromising Aura and noted mentally to investigate and learn about this matter more.

The Queen rose from her seat and led the man into another room holding his hand.

She stopped and turned around with tear filled eyes, "Aaron. I…I understand your actions but what about us? What shall I do now?"

"Do as I say. Come", he walked up to a wall pointed towards a tiny inscription on the wall, "Open it."

"How did you…?", the queen stuttered.

The man, now known as Aaron waved his hand interrupting the Queen and pointed at the inscription again.

The Queen reluctantly raised her right hand. Her index finger had a small ring with a strange symbol etched on it. She pressed the ring's gem into the inscription.

Ash was gob smacked as the etching on the ring and the wall inscription matched. He heard a small click and a tile holding the inscription stirred.

Aaron moved forward and slid the tile to a side revealing a secret vault.

"Wow!", Ash mouthed his feelings as Riolu thought the same on seeing the excellent method of secrecy even in the ancient period. Knowing that such a technology existed at that period of time was really stunning.

From seeing the Unown language, he knew that they were at least a thousand years in the past. Ash wondered how he was able to take it so easily. Anyone would freak out by the idea.

He shrugged it off for the time being and looked back at Aaron and Rin. Aaron had opened the shelf and reached into his armor. The man pulled out a book. Ash was shell shocked now.

"No way!", Ash gasped seeing the book. He could clearly see that it was the book he received from Professor Oak, "How can that book be so old? It felt only a few years old. May be five or maximum ten."

Aaron kept the book inside the shelf before closing it. Ash heard a click confirming that the shelf had been locked. Now he was anxious to know how the book travelled all the way to his time and to his hands.

Aaron turned to look at Rin, "Preserve the book. It is written by me. Give it to our heir. This will go to different generations through the hands of worthy descendents leading them to their destiny."

With that, he pulled the Queen into a deep kiss.

"Do you accept the Aura?", Aaron questioned rather fiercely as he broke off from the kiss while his eyes and right palm flashed blue.

Rin nodded still crying a bit, "Yes. I do."

The couple kissed again and Aaron touched the Queen's belly with his right palm. Rin's body absorbed the blue light from his hands.

Suddenly Ash and Riolu reached outside the palace. They saw a tree made of blue crystals and Aaron standing with a Lucario-Riolu's evolved form.

Aaron set his staff near the tree and made the Lucario touch it. Just as the contact was made between the Pokémon and the staff, Lucario was sucked into it.

Then from the crystal tree, a small pink cat-like Pokémon floated out.

"That's Mew.", Ash uttered. He had seen portraits of the New Species Pokémon in many ruins and shrines. This Legendary was worshipped like a God. He could feel that the Pokémon was somehow weak.

Ash saw Aaron standing between two huge armies of Pokémon and humans. Aaron extended his arms and sent a pulse of blue light to either sides creating a barrier and then concentrated on sending the Aura into Mew.

Ash could feel the Aura moving rapidly from Aaron to Mew. Then the blue light brightened and Aaron was nowhere to be seen. The now rejuvenated Mew used her powers to stop the armies and commanded them to return.

"He sacrificed himself!", Ash gulped, "What a man!"

The duo of Ash and Riolu grunted in irritation as they were sucked into another portal.

This time they saw a boy playing with Rin and then they saw the boy in adolescence fighting a few men beside another Lucario.

Then the image shifted and many men appeared one by one separately who each had possession of the book Aaron had kept in the shelf. Each of them dressed similar to Aaron except for the gloves with gems.

Scenes shifted and Ash saw a bearded man with the uniform he recognized now standing in front of a Pokémon he wasn't familiar with. But he was sure he had seen it somewhere. A yellow rodent with red cheeks, black tipped long ears and a twitchy zig-zag tail-A Pikachu sat on the man's shoulder. Beside him stood a Lucario.

Ash and Riolu saw the Pikachu battling against the opponent Pokémon which was a mass of purple-black shadow hovering over an odd stone. The Pokémon was defeated by the Pikachu and sealed in a small tower by the Pikachu's trainer.

Then the scene shifted again and he saw the man with the Pikachu, now older and lying on a bed. His face was contorted in pain and body covered with blood. He pulled out the book from a bag shakily and handed it to a young man who sat beside his bed, "Take this young man. Give it to a person whom you feel worthy to fight evil and experiences Aura. Help us Guardians pass on the Aura."

The young man took the book with a slow nod. A man whom Ash could recognize in any crowd. His teacher, mentor and advisor Professor Samuel Oak.

Riolu growled when the scene shifted again and it saw Ash taking the book from the old Professor and seeing the contents of blank pages with his eyes ablaze.

Then suddenly, Ash and Riolu felt the blue light surround them and closed their eyes instinctively. When they opened their eyes, they were in for the greatest shock till then.

The two saw themselves standing at Professor Oak's Lab in front of the old man and Ash's parents giving each other a high-five.

Riolu and Ash stared wide-eyed at each other and their connected palms. Suddenly, the two lunged at each other into a tight hug. What had seemed to them like an eternity was just a second. All the things they had seen had actually occurred outside their time dimension.

"Whoa. I didn't expect such a quick bonding.", Silver was amazed.

"Well I…", Ash started only to be stopped on hearing a young masculine voice in his head.

**Master! Do not tell them. Please. I feel that they won't take it well.**

'Huh? Who's that?', Ash was confused.

**Master, it is me. Riolu**

'So you mean we are connected? Great! This is getting really weird now.', Ash deadpanned.

**Certainly Master. I don't know how but I am able to do this perfectly.**

"Well I felt like doing that. I already like him. Riolu are cool Pokémon.", Ash winked at his father.

"Huh? Fine. So Professor, is this ok?", Silver looked over to the researcher who was looking at the Emanation Pokémon and Ash with suspicious eyes.

"Yeah sure. This is great. Well Ash, come with me. I have your Pokédex ready for you.", the Professor regained his composure and smiled gesturing Ash to follow him.

"Ready? But Professor, without filling up information, how can that happen?", Delia was confused.

"Heh. Well, I had the information filled in already. I did it myself because I know everything about you till now.", The Professor stated smugly.

Oak led his assistant and the boy's parents into another room and picked up a rectangular device. It was colored a mix of black and blue. The device had a cover over its glass screen and a few points for connections.

Ash looked on as the old man connected the device to a computer using a wire. When a small window containing his name, age, date of birth, address and other details appeared, the Professor pulled Ash in front of a small camera which was connected to the computer from another side.

Riolu who was sitting on Ash's head climbed down and stood on a table. The Professor clicked a few buttons and the camera flashed. After a few seconds, the picture appeared in the information window inside the computer.

The Professor typed in a few codes and then clicked a tab that read 'ACTIVATE'. In a few seconds, a tab of 'ACTIVATION COMPLETE' appeared.

Removing the device, Professor handed it to Ash who took the Pokédex and flipped it open. A mechanical male voice spoke up:-

_Welcome. I am Dexter and I'm a Pokédex. I serve as a proof of identity, Pokémon scanner, Encyclopedia on Pokémon, moves, abilities and other relevant information, If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced unless recommended by a regional Professor._

_Owner:-Ash Ketchum_

_Age:-14 years_

_Date of birth:-9__th__ July 2550_

_Status of Owner:-Beginning Trainer, Assistant and Field Researcher of Professor Samuel Oak._

_Qualifications and Achievements:-Diploma in Pokémon Psychology, Honorary Pearl Badge of Chef's Federation Forum, Three First Place wins of District Level Quiz Competition, Runner up twice at Viridian City Annual Conference._

_Starter Pokémon:-Riolu (Met at Oak's Laboratory, Pallet Town at Level 15)_

_Additional Facilities for Pokédex:-Mobile phone, Pokémon transfer machine, Geographic map for major regions, GPS system and a TM & HM teacher._

Riolu who was standing on the nearby table felt his jaw drop on hearing about Ash's qualifications.

**Wow! I seem to have gained a rather talented trainer!**

"Now to scan you little guy.", Ash thought aloud and turned towards his starter.

He pointed the Pokédex at Riolu and pressed the scan button making the device buzz before showing a picture of a Riolu on screen and it started speaking again.

RIOLU

The Emanation Pokémon. Riolu can sense emotions and Aura but it is not very good at using Aura till it evolves. Riolu can never support evil. They are powerful despite small size.

Gender:-Male

Ability:-Inner Focus

Level:-15

Moves:-Foresight, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Feint, Blaze Kick.

Note:-Blaze Kick is an Egg Move. Egg Moves are inherited from the Pokémon's male parent.

"Wow. You are pretty impressive already. And level 15 is quite high for a starter.", Ash beamed.

**I was trained by my father before I left home. He had said I would be able to perform Blaze Kick but only with practice and so he helped me in it.**

"Well I knew it would be a great haul. My friend is really good at choosing Pokémon.", Silver smiled.

"Where was Riolu caught Dad?", Ash was curious about this.

"Somewhere in Sinnoh.", Delia spoke up, "isn't it dear?", she looked at Silver.

Silver nodded with a grin.

"Professor, do you think I can take a day off? I wish to hang out a bit with Riolu.", Ash looked at Professor Oak with the most sincere of his expressions.

The old man chuckled inwardly and feinted a frown and then broke into a smile, "Of course Ash. How can I deny you that privilege after all the help you do to me?"

Ash quickly pulled Riolu and ran outside yelling a 'thank you' to the researcher and a 'see ya later' to his parents.

At this point of time, the Professor thought only one thing "Was this fate?"

Ash who was sprinting towards the forest area with Riolu noticed that Riolu actually weighed a lot more than expected of his size.

He reached a large tree and set down Riolu beside him.

Pulling out his Pokédex, Ash opened Riolu's page and scrolled down to see his moveset.

Riolu looked on curiously as Ash read the contents and then gave a bright smile to him.

"So Riolu, as I told you before, I wish to be a Pokémon Master. For that I'll have to be as strong as possible. So we'll have to train a lot. Do you agree to that?", he was unsure of his Pokémon's reaction.

Ash was relieved on seeing the small Pokémon smirking.

**I do wish to get stronger and someday evolve into a mighty Lucario. And I love to train.**

"Ok. So we'll have to train daily from today. After an year, we'll leave for a journey together. And till then, we have a lot to learn. I'll teach you what I know.", Ash rubbed the fighting type's head.

**In return I'll help you learn what you want now. I can sense your curiosity Master.**

"You can do that? You can help me learn?", Ash raised an eyebrow.

Riolu nodded at his trainer with a grin.

"Well after what all we saw, I can surmise that we might have to do something big. Those people, Aaron, his son, the others after them, the bearded man. All of them were trained, fighting for others. I feel that I must learn more about it.", Ash sighed, "But before that, I need to speak with Professor Oak. The man who gave him the book spoke about some 'guardians'. I need to investigate."

**But when shall we train?**

"Have patience Riolu. We'll start training soon. But for now, I wish to see your moves. I shall call out a random move and you have to perform it on that rock.", Ash pointed at a nearby boulder and stepped back.

"Force Palm"

Riolu dashed towards the boulder and swung his paw. Just as it made contact with the boulder, a yellow energy was released and cracks formed on the rock.

"Good but we need more power. Now Blaze Kick."

The Emanation Pokémon leapt a few feet into the air and swirled around. With a small roar, he extended his right leg into the boulder. The leg caught fire and on hitting the boulder, cracked it into pieces.

"Wow. Now use Quick Attack to get near me."

Riolu simply dashed in a zig-zag pattern at very high speed and stood in front of Ash within a second.

"Awesome. You just need a lot of practice.", Ash bent done and scratched behind Riolu's ear earning a growl of pleasure.

"Now lets go. We have something to learn.", Ash marched forward followed by Riolu who was rolling his eyes.

"Sir Sorren. That was his name. He was an amazing trainer and an Aura Guardian. He was like a mentor to was injured when we were trying to foil the attempts of some poachers in Saffron City. We were with Agatha who was one of my best friends. And the two of us used to be trainers then. When Sir Sorren succumbed to his injuries, I was blind with rage. I destroyed the poacher's den. Charizard and Dragonite were the ones with me and they burnt down the whole place. And to save Pokemon trapped there, we had to kill some of them.", Professor Oak sat on a couch with a cup of coffee in his hands.

Ash sat facing him and held the book he had received. Riolu was sleeping on his lap.

"The Pikachu and Lucario he owned had given lives for their master and were cremated with him. They received full League honors during cremation. Sir Sorren was given the title of Aura Knight to honor his achievements and valor.", the professor sighed before looking at Ash, "He had given me the book before his death. He asked me to give it away when I saw someone worthy and experiences Aura. When you told me about what all you felt, I knew there was no one better than you to receive the book. And maybe it was fate. Otherwise, how would you get a Riolu the same day?"

Ash was seated in front of Professor Oak's huge computer. It was designed for storage of terabytes of data and for high level calculations. He slowly activated the Internet Connection and typed 'Aura' in the search page.

After some time of reading, he saw a name he recognized but in a different manner.

'Sir Aaron!'

**There goes Chapter Three. I made it only to show how Ash is connected to Aura. Review please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is the fourth Chapter. I have made it longer. And it will also feature a few new Pokémon. Ash captures his next teammate.**

**I have skipped one of Ash's starting Pokémon from the anime. But instead I replaced a second one with a new idea of mine.**

**I have also explained the use of TMs in this chapter which is something never known in anime and never explained in games.**

**Now for review:-**

**ultimateCCC: Right now, no because I've planned a few Pokémon already. But later on with the updates, I shall ask for suggestions and shall select the best ones.**

**Read and Review the Chapter.**

CHAPTER FOUR-NEW FRIENDS, JOURNEY AND EVOLUTION

Ash huffed and panted as he completed his daily run of ten laps around the spa. He had bent down holding his knees to gather his breath. On raising his head, Ash saw his Riolu sitting on a boulder snickering.

Ash had researched a lot about Aura after his crazy adventure with Riolu and had found out that Sir Aaron was the first ever Aura user. An Aura Guardian or may be an Aura Master.

Since that day, Ash had decided to learn the use of Aura. He considered it as his duty because fate had eventually brought Sir Aaron's book into his hands. Riolu had offered to help as his species were good at sensing Aura.

But unfortunately for Ash, Riolu was a strict teacher and forced him past his levels. The duo ran ten laps around the huge spa daily. Ash also had to undergo physical training that included push-ups, weight training and swimming.

Then came the last part which was also the toughest. Meditation. Ash had a lot of problems concentrating but Riolu wouldn't let it go. After a month of constant trials, Ash was finally able to get his Aura to not flicker.

Ash was also able to see clear pictures of what surrounded him when he closed his eyes. But this had come with a lot of pain as Riolu had chosen throwing stones for Ash to dodge so that he could master Aura sight.

**Three months Master. Just three more months to start our journey and you still get tired by this? Don't you want to finish our training by then?**

Ash quickly straightened up and marched forward followed closely by Riolu. Ash was wearing a white muscle shirt and blue shorts. The clothing showed off Ash's toned muscles. The intense training program Riolu had devised had its own perks. Compared to a normal fourteen year old, Ash was quite ripped.

Suddenly they heard a commotion from the direction of Professor Oak's Lab.

"Riolu. To the lab quick.", Ash yelled as he started running.

Within a minute, Ash reached the lab. What he saw there surprised him. A small fur ball was emitting electric sparks at Prof. Oak and his assistants. The Pokémon was yellow in color and had long black tipped ears and zigzag tail. Its cheeks were in a permanent blush of red circles.

"Professor, what happened?"

The old man turned to face Ash, "Ahh Ash! That Pikachu is eating our wires in the generator room. That can be really harmful and will cost us a lot. We need to stop it. I don't want it to be too hurt either."

"May I have a try at it? Riolu hasn't had a good opponent since a long time.", Ash smirked evilly.

At getting the faintest nod, Ash faced the Pikachu, "Pikachu, I challenge you to a battle."

Riolu moved in between his trainer and the Pikachu.

Pikachu unleashed a violent bolt of electricity. 'Thunderbolt. Spin to the right and launch forward with Quick Attack. Let us show him who rules around here.'

**What's your plan Master? Is this a payback for all the training? That Pikachu is stronger than the wild ones around.**

Riolu kept his link all the while dodging and rushing towards his opponent.

Surprising even Professor Oak, the shiny Pikachu dashed at lightning speed, its movement creating air currents around its body.

'ExtremeSpeed. Incredible. Stop it with Force Palm.'

Just as Riolu tried striking the opponent, the electric type spun into a leap and clashed Riolu's paw with a glowing tail. The two fought for a few seconds trying to dominate the other. But then both of them pulled away. Pikachu skidded to a halt while Riolu fell on a knee.

'Crap. Its unnaturally strong.'

Pikachu raced ahead again and rammed into Riolu with a yellow aura of electricity covering its body. Riolu who was launched back a few feet hissed in anger and got up slowly growling at the opponent.

'That's Volt Tackle. Pikachu family's signature move. It's quite powerful. Can you still go on Riolu?'

**Of course. I'm not your starter for nothing.**

Pikachu stopped and flinched as sparks appeared on its body.

'Volt Tackle causes recoil damage. Lets try your new move. Earthquake.'

Riolu raised his small leg and slammed it down hard causing a miniature quake. The shock was enough to get Pikachu off balance.

'Thank Goodness Dad's Hitmonlee taught you how to use it. Now Quick Attack into Blaze Kick.'

Riolu growled in triumph as he kicked the Pikachu's gut with his flame covered leg.

Pikachu cried out loud and fell backwards.

"Can I capture it Professor?", Ash looked at his teacher expectantly. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to catch such a strong Pikachu. To top it off, it had excellent moves.

"Why not my boy? You are the one who defeated it.", the professor smiled and pulled out a small red and white sphere from the pocket of his lab coat.

Ash smirked inwardly as he enlarged the Poke ball pressing the centre button. He chucked the ball at the Pikachu. As the ball made contact, it snapped open and sucked Pikachu inside it as a red energy. The now closed Poke ball shook violently.

'One, Two and Three!', Ash counted and at three, the ball gave a small 'ping' signifying the capture.

"Yay! We caught a Pikachu. Thank you Riolu.", Ash bent down to hug the tired Riolu before retrieving the Poke ball.

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Just as Ash picked up the two Poke balls from the healing machine, both of them snapped open.

Riolu gave a toothy grin but Pikachu scowled at Ash as he appeared before shocking him lightly.

"Hey, what's the big idea?", Ash yelled at his new Pokémon.

The Pikachu gave him an angry look and then pointed at a Poke ball and waved his index finger as if indicating 'no'.

"Uhh you mean you don't want to be my Pokémon.", Ash was worried now. He didn't want to lose this rare specimen. On getting another shock as reply and the similar gesture, he struck realization.

"Ohh so you hate being in there? Is it?", Ash looked at the Mouse Pokémon kindly.

"Chu…", Pikachu nodded. Turning towards Riolu, Pikachu extended his paw which the fighting type reciprocated gladly.

Ash smiled as he saw his two Pokémon getting along quite easily. Seeing the Pikachu's attitude and power, he had feared it to be arrogant. But he was in for a surprise.

Ash was at the spa now showered and changed while his Pokémon were being healed. He picked up his Pokédex and scanned Pikachu.

_PIKACHU_

_The Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu. It can use its tail to sense thunderstorms. Pikachu discharges electricity from time to time for avoiding an electrical overload. It can also use its electric discharge for roasting berries._

_Gender:-Male_

_Ability:-Lightning Rod_

_Level:-20_

_Moves:-Thunderbolt, Thunderwave, Iron Tail, Nasty Plot, ExtremeSpeed, Volt Tackle._

_Note:- (1)Volt Tackle is an Egg Move. It is inherited when the Male Parent, either a Pikachu or a Raichu holds a Light Ball._

_(2)ExtremeSpeed is a move Pikachu might learn either if granted the ability by a Legendary Pokémon or due to being part of DNA experiments. But the involvement of a Pikachu in such cases cannot guarantee the knowledge of the move. It's purely random. There have been only a few dozen records of a Pikachu knowing this move._

"Now what is Lightning Rod and Light Ball?", Ash mused while looking in the Pokédex. Surprising him, the electric type jumped onto his arm and started touching the screen.

"Pikachu, what are you…"

Ash was cut off by Pikachu who pointed at the screen now.

The dex spoke once again

_LIGHTNING ROD_

_A Special Ability. It lets the Pokémon absorb any electric move and increase its Special Attack stat for the battle. This ability gives the user immunity towards electric attacks._

Before he could comprehend what actually happened, Pikachu touched the screen again.

This time, the screen changed and a picture appeared. Ash saw a yellow ball. It had sparks flying inside.

_LIGHT BALL_

_The Signature Hold Item for Pikachu. It boosts the holder's Attack and Special Attack._

"Whoa! Pikachu, it would be an understatement to say I'm surprised.", Ash turned towards the said rodent, "Tell me, how did you learn that ExtremeSpeed and how did you earn to use an advanced Pokédex like this? Even I could not do it so fast."

"Pika-Pikaa…Pi.. Pi..chu…Pikachu..pi-ka-chu..pi pi..", the electric type waved its arms wildly gesturing things which Ash found tough to understand. Then at last, the Mouse Pokémon burst into tears.

He looked dumbfounded at Riolu who had a sad look on his face.

**He says he was used for a lot of experiments. Even his parents were. A Scientist who had captured him infused a Light Ball inside his body. That's why the unnatural power boost. His parents died during one such experiment and he ran away from the lab which had exploded.**

Ash widened his eyes at all the implausible information. His new Pokémon was the result of some crazy experiments.

Pikachu sobbed intensely as he wept his heart out. Suddenly he felt being picked up and he was hugged gently by Ash. This made him cry even more.

Ash rocked the small Pokémon gently in his arms as the electric type buried his face into the trainer's chest.

Slowly, Pikachu fell asleep.

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Pikachu woke up to find himself in a bed. He looked around to see that he was at an unknown place. He remembered being caught by a human after battling against the strong Riolu.

Then Pikachu realized that he had cried into the human's chest when he narrated his story.

Hopping off the bed, Pikachu walked towards the room's door. He got out of the room and climbed down the steps. As he reached a large room, he could smell something nice.

He was hungry. So Pikachu slowly walked towards whatever gave off the heavenly smell.

Pikachu entered the next room and found the human and Riolu from earlier with a man and a woman who both looked elder than him.

"Pikachu?", he called out.

This caused the three humans to turn around and look at him.

"Hey Pikachu. I guess you are hungry. Come here.", the human called out.

"Chu?", he pointed at the boy.

"I'm Ash. This is my father and that is my mother.", the boy answered while pointing to the elders.

"Chu-Pika…Pi-Pika.", Pikachu spoke while looking at the two. Then he jumped into the boy's hands, 'Ash', as he remembered him, "Pikapi!"

Pikachu nuzzled into Ash's chest earning an amused look from his parents.

"He's so cute.", Delia squealed.

"A rare specimen indeed. You've got yourself a good friend Ash", Silver commented.

Ash settled Pikachu on the table near Riolu and poured him some milk in a bowl. He took some Pokéchow and added it to the milk.

Ash got up and walked to a cupboard. Opening it, he started looking for something.

"And you are an electric type. So…here goes.", Ash spoke slowly as he pulled out a small bottle of a yellow powder and a jar containing the crushed Blue Star leaves.

Adding the two items to the mix, Ash gestured Pikachu to eat who squealed in joy on the first lick of the food.

"Pi-ka Pikapi!", he smiled at his trainer. He was glad to have found a good human.

"I'm glad you like it.", Ash patted the electric type's head and scratched behind the right ear getting a 'chaa' of satisfaction.

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July 9th 2565

6 a.m.

"Uhh I'm bugged. Today I won't get up early.", Ash huffed.

"Pikaa…chu…", a small bolt of electricity zapped Ash and he jumped out of the bed.

"Now why was that Pikachu?", Ash demanded.

"Pi…Pika-pi-pi Pikachu… Pikapi…", the mouse growled out.

"Ahh I don't know how I ended up getting such Pokémon. You both are crazy. You know that?", Ash snorted.

Pikachu smirked and gave a 'Pika' while Riolu who stood at the door chuckled lightly.

**Weren't you the one who wrote that a trainer's personality may rub off his Pokémon, Master?**

"Yeah right.", Ash shook his head sarcastically and then got up, "I'm up. I'll get down after a shower. You guys check on what's breakfast today."

The three months after Pikachu joining the team had been very lively. The little electric type was a genius in using electronic devices. He also knew how to the electronic open locks by touching their wires or the code panels.

Although Pikachu was very carefree type, he was a very serious battler and loved training. His speed was monstrous and his knowledge of ExtremeSpeed made him even more dangerous. The presence of the Light Ball inside his body gave the Mouse Pokémon a permanent power boost in both Attack and Special Attack department.

Pikachu also loved being groomed and massaged. To his luck, Ash's family owned a spa which specialized in those. Delia had prepared oils for different types of Pokémon that would make their skin, fur or scales better. Ash's knowledge of cooking healthy food for Pokémon and his use of Blue Star leaves made Pikachu stronger.

Smiling at the thought, Ash walked into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, showered and wore fresh clothes. Picking up his Pokédex, Poke balls and his cap, Ash set out towards the kitchen.

After a breakfast consisting of him eating simple Veg Sandwich and his own invented "Mashed fruit mix with honey' as he called it, Riolu having his favorite Lum Berry-Rose petal roast and Pikachu strangely sipping a lot of Ketchup, the trio walked out to Oak's Lab knowing that Silver and Delia would wait there for them.

Ash was carrying a rather large backpack. He had packed his clothes, medicines, bandages, a journal, few bottles of his recipes for Pokémon which could be mixed with various berries to make it special for different types, items to cook, a few utensils, plates, water and at last a jar of his crushed Blue Star leaves.

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Ash entered the lab to see his parents and Professor Oak in a conversation.

"Hey Ash. Come in. So all ready for adventure?", the Professor smiled.

"Yeah Professor. We are gonna hit hard and fast.", Ash grinned.

Pikachu jumped into Delia's arms, "Pi-Pika", and waved at Silver, "Chu-Pika"

The couple had come to realize that those were their names in Pikachu's language and also that Ash was 'Pikapi' for him.

"Well Ash, give me your Pokédex.", the Prof. demanded.

As Ash handed over the device, the researcher checked it, "Rattata, Raticate, Pidgey, Spearow, Pikachu, Riolu, Starly…huh? You got to scan those migrating Starly? You didn't catch one? You always seemed to like them."

"The thing is Professor, I could not see one nearby.", Ash shrugged.

The Professor connected the encyclopedia into the pc, typed a few words before clicking on 'UPDATE' and gave it back.

"Anyways, here's an update for your Pokédex. And also, two TMs as gift from me. Teach the moves to both of these.", Oak gestured at Riolu and Pikachu, "And congratulations."

"Congratulations? What for Professor?"

"Open the dex and check your trainer info. That was what I updated.", the old man smiled.

Ash felt his jaw drop as he saw the new words added into his info as '_ -Mastery in Pokémon Psychology_' and '_Electronic storage system and twelve on hand limit_'.

"My results are out? I passed? Wooohooo!", Ash jumped in joy and then stopped abruptly, "And you are raising my limit of carrying Pokémon to twelve unlike six for others?"

"Well Ash, generally, this facility is allowed only for A Grade Trainers while you are just a beginner meaning E grade. But seeing the recommendations from us and your achievements till now, the League permitted to increase your limit.", Silver smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks Dad.", Ash smiled.

"Ohh Honey I'm going to miss you sooo much.", Delia cried as she hugged her son. Ash hugged back and smiled at her, "I'll make sure to call you from time to time."

"Ohh yes honey that's better. Now don't be late and remember to change your underwear daily", she sobbed.

""MOM! You're embarrassing me.", Ash's face was beet red and his Pokémon were chuckling at their trainer's plight.

"Goodbye Ash. We'll miss you and will root for you. Bring home that Indigo Cup!", Silver smirked as he hugged his son.

"I'll miss you too Dad. See you.", with that Ash grabbed his partners and walked out.

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Ash was now in a field near Viridian City. He was sitting under a large tree. This was his second day as a Pokémon Trainer. He had trained a bit with his Pokémon and checked the two TM disks the Professor had given him. Riolu was meditating and Pikachu was with Ash.

The two disks were colored and had stickers on it explaining the name, the type of move and its effects. He knew that the first one which was a shade of black was for Riolu but he could use it only after evolving. The second one was for Pikachu. He looked at the small light green disk that read 'Grass Knot'.

Ash smirked knowing that this move would change the course of many battles in future. Pikachu pulled out Ash's Pokédex from his pocket and started touching various spots on the screen.

He always admired how smart his Pikachu was around electronic devices. Pikachu had devised the idea of using his ability to sense the flow of electricity in different gadgets. The intelligent little mouse knew that touching the screen and buttons generated electric pulses as signals. This helped him to work on them. Pikachu slowly tapped the screen and a slot opened up on the side of the device.

Ash smirked at his friend's brilliance and inserted the TM disk in the slot. Pulling out a wire that was folded and clipped behind the dex, Ash connected one side of it to the dex and kept the other one on Pikachu's head.

On the screen, he could see 'TEACH GRASS KNOT TO PIKACHU?' flashing. Ash quickly confirmed it. This resulted in the device whirring and Pikachu shivering a bit. Then the slot opened up and spit out the used disk.

"Ok. Try that Grass Knot buddy.", Ash commanded.

Pikachu focused after closing his eyes. When he opened them, his eyes were glowing green and two grasses in front of him started moving. Slowly, they touched each other and tied themselves to each other.

"Great.", Ash clapped a bit, "But we must practice and try making it faster."

Suddenly, a small Pokémon fell down beside Ash from the air unmoving.

It was a bird with mud brown body. The lower half of its wings as well as its head was a darker brown. Its face looked like it was wearing a mask, with black eyes, white pupils and a thin yellow beak with the tip painted brown. On its chest was a white spot. It had yellow clawed feet and three tail feathers, two dark brown on the sides and a white in middle.

"A Starly!", Ash gasped, "It must have been hatched from the migrating group."

Suddenly a few other birds flew towards the fallen Starly which Ash recognized as Spearow. Spearow were known for their nasty temper and would attack anyone.

Pikachu zapped the Spearow instinctively. Ash picked up the Starly and handed it over to Riolu who had realized the situation by now.

Ash gestured Riolu and Pikachu to run. He saw the Spearow crying loudly. This triggered something unexpected as a huge flock rose from the trees and started attacking them.

Pikachu zapped a few of them but as the number of Spearow started increasing, Pikachu became tired. Ash stood in between his Pokémon and the Spearow. Riolu could not fight with Starly in his arms.

"Riolu, Pikachu, go and get Starly to the city's Pokémon Centre."

Clouds rumbled overhead and the sunlight dimmed as the sun started setting and clouds gathered.

Ash turned towards the Spearow, "Listen Spearow. I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I have set out to become a Pokémon Master. One day I'll take on each of you and shall defeat you."

A single tear drop trickled down from Riolu's eye as the Spearow dived at Ash.

"Come and get me!", Ash yelled over the rumbling voice of Thunder and closed his eyes.

Riolu felt something shift inside him and lunged forward. Still holding the injured Starly in his left hand, Riolu's fist absorbed the static from the air and he punched the first Spearow with brute force. The violent Flying type fell on the ground charred from the raw power of the super-effective attack.

The last rays of the day's sunlight fell on Riolu's head.

Riolu felt his heart surging with joy and loyalty for his selfless Master. A warm feeling came over him and he started glowing. His body grew in height as the arms and legs lengthened. Riolu's fangs became sharper and his voice became gruff. Steel spikes shot out of his chest and forepaws, his ears and hanging appendages grew longer.

A lightning crashed towards Lucario but Pikachu tilted his tail a bit attracting the thunder towards himself. Using the power he felt, Pikachu formed a golden sphere on his tail. As he hurled the orb at the attacking Spearow, the newly evolved Lucario roared loudly and pushed his right paw forward creating a blue ball of energy while still holding on to the unconscious Starly.

The two spheres detonated violently and created a huge explosion. Ash felt himself losing consciousness and he fell down on the ground.

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When he opened his eyes, Ash saw that it was morning.

Rays of the rising sun hit his face and he got up slowly to see that in front of him stood three Pokémon. His Pikachu, the Starly they had rescued the last evening and a completely new Pokémon. He knew the species but couldn't recognize this one.

**What happened Master?**, a deep and strong voice spoke into his mind.

Ash's eyes widened in realization, "Riolu?"

**Did yesterday's events mess up with your brain Master? I'm a Lucario now.**, the gruff, intimidating voice chuckled.

This was more than enough for Ash to recognize his starter. No one else would speak in this manner.

"I owe you my life!", Ash exclaimed as he hugged his Pokémon.

"Starly…Staar..", the small bird Pokémon they had rescued was conscious and was able to converse with them. But it would have to be healed.

Ash decided that taking in the Starly into his team would be the best idea as he did not want it to be alone in wild. This one was clearly new born and its flock would have crossed Kanto by now.

Smiling at the bird, Ash picked it up and also let Pikachu climb onto his shoulder.

"Will you come with us Starly? I wish to capture you.", Ash smiled.

Starly seemed to think for a moment before nodding slowly.

Ash was about to take a Poke ball when a glittering powder fell on all of them. Just as the powder touched his body, Ash felt it being filled with energy. He felt fresh and stronger than ever.

As he and his Pokémon looked into the sky, they saw a rainbow and a huge bird Pokemon flying through it. The Pokémon's feathers were of various colors-Red, White, Yellow, Gold and Green. It had a crest on its head and the Pokémon seemed to emit sparkles as it flew.

"Ho-Oh!" Ash muttered and noted that those sparkles were what fell on them making them feel better.

Pulling out his Pokédex quickly, Ash scanned the Pokémon.

_HO-OH_

_The Rainbow Pokémon. It looks over the world and protects it while searching for pure hearted trainers. Seeing Ho-Oh is also considered to be a sign of luck._

_Gender:-N/A_

_Ability:-Regenerate_

_Level:-70_

_Moves:-N/A_

As he looked once again to the disappearing Pokémon, he saw something fall down. A lone feather exactly colored like the Legendary Pokémon fell down directly into his hands.

Ash stood there stunned. When Pikachu nudged him slowly, he pulled out a box from his now drenched backpack. He was glad he had the items in the backpack covered in plastic inside.

Ash opened the small box and kept the feather safely in it.

"We should not tell it to others. Prof. Oak is okay but no one else. Do you guys understand me?"

All the three Pokémon nodded simultaneously.

Ash picked a Poke ball from his belt and touched it on Starly who was instantly sucked inside. The ball simple stopped moving and the capture was complete.

Ash scanned the Poke ball.

STARLY

The Starling Pokémon. It tends to live in groups. Starly hunt on small bug Pokémon and also eat berries and fruits.

Gender:-Female

Ability:-Keen Eye.

Level:-1

Moves:-Tackle, Growl, Pursuit, Roost.

Note:-The moves Pursuit and Roost are Egg Moves.

Rarity Note:-This Starly is a kind of Pokémon that are alternately colored and popularly known as Shiny Pokémon. Genetic mutation while the Pokémon is still unborn is considered to be the reason for such alternate coloring. The mutation also causes the said Pokémon to become stronger than their normal counterparts.

"I knew it. A newly hatched.", Ash sighed and then checked the Egg Moves and saw that a Fearow or Spearow would be the Starly's male parent. So he deduced that the Spearow attacked Starly thinking of her as some intruder's child.

Gathering his belongings, Ash started walking forward.

Lucario walked beside his Master and Pikachu was on the Aura Pokémon's shoulder as the trio crossed the area and entered into Viridian City.

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**That concludes my longest Chapter till now. I know I evolved Riolu very soon but Ash's act of sacrificing himself to save his Pokémon should be rewarded that way. I'm sure that if the anime started with a Riolu instead of Pikachu, it would evolve the minute it sees Ash do that.**

**I also have an idea to make Ash get his first Pokémon egg soon. He will rather earn the egg.**

**Next chapter will introduce Misty and the same or the one after it might showcase Cynthia.**

**See ya guys with the next update.**

**Review please and any suggestions are welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello guys.**

**This is the fifth chapter. I need reviews. More reviews. As many as possible. Any suggestions are welcome as always.**

**Dark Mephiles: Your being late is never a problem but me being late is certainly a problem. Now about the Gym Leader thing, I had already decided it the same. Ash will battle and he may also have some side quests in some gyms.**

**Then about the Eevee. I shall certainly include Eevee but not the one which can switch back and forth. It's unrealistic. Imagine you becoming young again and growing as someone else and all. That's not good. I have another idea for it. But it will take time. Also, Pikachu and Lucario won't battle in every Gym. Only in a few ones.**

**CDOwen: Now my friend, this is a fic and you think Cynthia will be at the age she is in the anime or will be that powerful? No way. I don't fancy the idea of girls being too older than guys. They'll be same age and Cynthia will be powerful almost at par with Ash.**

**About Pokémon, Ash will receive the starters mentioned in the poll and also the ones he caught in Kanto. Unova Pokémon might not appear unless gifted to him or something like that.**

**Now to the chapter. Enjoy.**

CHAPTER FIVE-ENTER TROUBLEMAKERS AND A NEW FRIEND

Ash entered Viridian City slowly along with his Pokémon.

"Attention citizens of Viridian City. We have been informed of Pokémon thieves trying to enter Viridian City. Make sure to be alert everywhere and inform the officials if you see someone or something suspicious.", two megaphones set up on a high pole kept on emitting the message in a female voice.

Just as Ash crossed the entrance, a lady dressed in blue uniform of the cops stomped over to face Ash and stopped him, "Stop right there. Who are you and what are you doing with those Pokémon?"

He decided to toy around with the lady as she seemed to be just a few years older than him.

"Do I look like I'm doing anything other than walking officer?", Ash smirked making Lucario and Pikachu to snicker at the lady officer.

"And if you want to know who I am, take me somewhere. I shall let you know about me in detail.", Ash stated with a wink and a sly grin.

This caused the officer, to turn a beet red, "I… um… I am Jenny. And don't try to flirt because I don't engage in other things during duty.", she stuttered at first but then regained her confidence.

"Well I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I have captured a new Pokémon and she's a new born. So I wish to take her to the Pokémon Centre for a quick check-up.", Ash stated showing his Pokédex as proof of his identity.

"Now get on my bike and I shall take you to the Pokémon Centre.", Jenny quickly started the bike that was parked nearby.

"Well I guess this is inevitable. You better get in here buddy.", Ash smiled at Lucario while recalling him into the Poke ball.

Ash held Pikachu in his arms as he got into the side car of Jenny's bike. Jenny started the bike and they sped off leaving a trail of smoke behind.

An orange haired girl who came out of the forest chased the bike shouting curses at the occupants of the vehicle.

"Just wait till I get to you rookie.", she growled out between her coughs due to the smoke, "I'm going to make you pay."

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Ten minutes later…

Ash and Pikachu are screaming as Jenny showcased her crazy driving and sped through the empty streets at top speed.

Ash saw a huge building with a red roof and a Poke ball symbol on it. Jenny accelerated her bike towards the door of the building.

A few feet before they crashed into the building, the doors slid open and Jenny stopped the vehicle making it screech into a halt just before the front desk.

"Jenny, we have a drive way and parking lot you know.", a pink haired woman from behind the desk scolded the officer. She was wearing white uniform of a nurse and had a small hat on which held a Red Cross sign.

"Well it was kind of an emergency.", Jenny gestured at Ash and Pikachu who were both green and trying to get into normalcy after the over speeding.

"Nurse Joy, I caught a Starly on the way here. She's just hatched and was being attacked by a flock of Spearow. Can you please do a check up?", Ash handed her Starly's Poke ball and called out Lucario.

"Both of you guys go with Nurse Joy and help Starly if need be. And behave yourselves.", Ash smiled as he pat the two Pokémon on their heads.

The two Pokémon gave growls of happiness and walked away with the nurse.

Ash decided to make a call to his parents and pulled out his Pokédex. Sliding the screen lock open, he spoke, "Make a call to the Ketchum's Spa."

"_Right away Sir."_, the Pokédex spoke in its monotonous voice and the call connected.

Ash saw Delia's face appear on the screen, "Good morning. This is Ketchum's Day Care Centre cum Spa. How can we help you?", then she saw it was her son on the other side, "Ohh Ash. It's you. Where are you now? Silver honey, Ash is on the line. Come fast."

Silver came and stood behind Delia holding her shoulders, "Hey there Ash."

"Hi Dad. I have so much to tell you.", Ash smiled back.

"First tell me where you are right now. Did you reach Viridian?"

"I am at the Viridian City Pokémon Centre right now.", Ash smirked at the next part he was going to tell, "Pikachu and Lucario are with Nurse Joy helping her with my new Starly."

Ash started laughing as he saw his parents looking at him wide-eyed.

"What?", he continued laughing at them as he asked.

"Your…Your Riolu evolved so soon? But how and when?", Delia asked slowly.

"Well", Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "A crazy adventure of rescuing a new born baby Pokémon from getting killed led to the events."

"You did what?", Silver snarled.

"Uhh Dad, why are you angry on me? Isn't it our duty to help anyone in trouble?", Ash narrowed his eyes.

Silver stared at his son for a minute and then broke into a grin, "Great. We expect nothing less from you. And how is that Pokémon now? I guess that's the Starly you caught."

"Yeah. She's ok and being checked on by Nurse Joy. And guess what Dad? I met someone very special.", Ash whispered the last part.

"Ohhh did my Ashy get a girlfriend so soon?", Delia squealed making Ash blush lightly.

"Mom, this is serious. I shall send you some data I retrieved. Check it and give me your comments.", Ash spoke sternly and pressed a few tabs on the screen and started sending the information on Ho-Oh to the Spa's e-mail, "I've mailed it. Check it right now."

Seeing Ash's serious expression, his parents grew worried but when Silver opened up the mail containing the information, he felt his jaw drop.

Delia looked at the Pokémon confused, "What's that?"

"Wow Ash… It took me three years of searching to even have a glimpse of Ho-Oh. And here you saw it on the first day of your journey. You have abundance of luck young man.", Silver beamed at his son.

"Ho-Oh? As in the legendaries you talk about?", Delia had her mouth in an 'O'.

Ash sighed pulled a box from his backpack and held out the item inside for them to see.

"This is too good. How in the world did you get that?", Silver yelled, "Ho-Oh's feathers never fall off on their own. If you got it, then it means it was a gift to you by the protector of the worlds."

"Why do all weird things happen with me?", Ash groaned.

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Ash was once again in the forest area to train Starly. He had contacted and informed Professor Oak about all the events and had come to know that Pewter City would be hosting a tournament for F class, E class and D class trainers. The prize would be a full set of Evolutionary stones and a rare Pokémon, mostly as an egg.

This had caught Ash's interest and he was training hard his Pokémon. He also wanted to capture two new Pokémon which he had always found to be beautiful-Pidgeot and Butterfree.

Pikachu was busy practicing Grass Knot while Lucario was meditating as usual. This was a strange thing about his training. He meditated a lot even when he was a Riolu.

But this enhanced his Aura abilities. The meditation also helped him in other moves that needed control over the mind. Surprising all of them, Lucario had mastered Dark Pulse in just a few hours after he learned it from the TM.

Starly was in Ash's hands. He had warned the little Flying type that he would be strict in training and that she will be pushed to her limits.

But surprisingly, she seemed to like that and accepted the idea easily.

"She probably wants to be strong enough to protect herself.", Ash mused as he massaged the bird's wings. He had applied oil to the bird's body and let her fly around a lot so that it would be absorbed into the body. He had already fed the little new born and had made her eat the Blue Star leaves raw.

Ash gently massaged the joints of Starly's wings and also rubbed his hands over other parts of her body. He took a comb from his backpack. The comb was not sharp and ended in smooth tips. It was specially designed to clear the feathers of bird Pokémon.

After brushing the bird for a while, Ash let it start flying.

"Now Starly, we shall start your training. You must fly ten laps in this clearing. Back and forth. But rest after each lap because you cannot exert yourself too much.", Ash explained while gesturing.

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"Now Starly, we must make your wings stronger. We are going to battle the Pewter City Gym and the tournament to be held there. Pewter is famous for Rock types. So we must get you to learn Steel Wing. Its relatively easy when compared to fighting type moves which you cannot learn unless you evolve twice.", Ash lectured.

Star..Starly?, the little bird cocked its head.

"You need to hit your wings on rocks. It'll help you to strengthen your wings. And you can also take help from Pikachu. He knows Iron Tail which is a lot like Steel Wing.", the young Aura user gestured at his second Pokémon.

Ash smiled as his newest Pokémon went off to train. Starly was being violent in training and he was happy about that because it was a sign of evolution. Staravia, Starly's evolved form and Staraptor, the final form were known to be very violent.

Ash sat down and pulled his book from the backpack. He was studying the uses of Aura from the book slowly. Now he was able to sense Aura, recognize the differences in the Aura signatures, pour out some of his own Aura to injured Pokémon and also to understand Pokémon slightly.

Ash was able to see the strange language of the book as Unown language. He had learned that the letters would morph into Unown symbols when Aura sight would be used. This ensured that only an Aura could read it.

Ash pulled out a paper from the book. It had his new goals written down:-

1-Capture good Pokémon and train them to maximum.

2-Evolve maximum Pokémon he captures to their final form if they agree before getting his sixth badge.

3-Battle and win against other trainers as these wins would accumulate Winner's Credits in his Pokédex and they could be used instead of money.

4-Practice Aura and learn to use attacks.

5-Get eight badges from the gyms scattered across the region and enter the Pokémon League.

6-Write and publish a new thesis on different Pokémon he would meet in his journey.

Ash smirked inwardly after reading the points for umpteenth time and then tucked it away.

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TWO DAYS LATER:-

Starly had finished her training and was resting when Ash saw a girl stomping towards him. The girl was thin and a few inches shorter than him. She had orange hairs which were tied sideways.

She wore yellow top and blue shorts that reached her lower thighs. She was carrying a charred bicycle on her shoulders. Reaching near Ash, she kept the burnt remnants of the bicycle down.

"Excuse me Miss, but what happened to that bicycle?", Ash asked politely.

"You! You happened to it. You destroyed my bike. I was searching for you whole two days. Now pay up.", the girl growled at the boy but thought internally, 'He's handsome but I cannot him escape. I got my bike destroyed due to his Pokémon.

Riolu and Pikachu who had noticed the girl by now rushed to their trainer and stood behind him eyeing the girl suspiciously.

"I did that? Are you out of your mind? This is the first time I'm seeing you. Who do you think you are?", Ash snapped.

"That's right. You never saw me before. But yesterday when your Pikachu and that dog Pokémon, whatever it is attacked those Spearow, they destroyed my bike."

This made Pikachu growl and jump at the girl but Lucario quickly grabbed his friend with a stern look on his face.

**It's alright. I don't mind idiots trying to insult me. You should not attack them.**

"Prove it.", Ash smirked at the girl.

The girl was at a loss of words now. She had never lost an argument till now but this guy had stopped her in a moment.

'I'll challenge him for a battle. Then we'll decide what to do.', she thought with a slight grin.

"I'll show you rookie.", the girl growled out.

Ash noticed that the girl had pulled out a Poke ball and smiled a bit, "A battle is what you want? Fine. One on One?"

"If you lose, you must pay me for the bike."

"And if I win, you must accompany me and assist me in my journey.", Ash smirked.

**Master! Why did you say that? You know that's risky. If we lose, you'll have to pay and if somehow we win, we must endure this annoying girl.**

'Be positive buddy. If we win, we get someone to help us and work for us if need be.'

"I'm Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City and for a rookie like you, this baby should be enough.", the girl tried mocking Ash as she called out a Pokémon.

Its body was mostly composed of a pliable, golden-brown star-shape. Between its five appendages, at the very center of its body, a core was held in place by a gold piece. The core resembles a red jewel and lopped around its left leg was a golden ring that seems to hold the core in place.

Ash scanned it with his Pokédex.

_STARYU_

_The Star-Shape Pokémon. It's gem glows during nights. As far as the gem is safe, its body can be regenerated even if some appendage is lost._

_Gender:-N/A_

_Ability:-Natural Cure_

_Level:-N/A_

_Moves:-N/A_

"A Staryu huh? Doesn't look too strong but have to be careful. I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. And I choose Starly for the battle."

Starly flew down from Ash's shoulder to face Staryu and screeched at the opponent. She was eager to fight now and wanted to prove that she was strong enough to protect herself.

"Ok Staryu, use Water Gun.", Misty cried out.

Even without a command, Starly slid to the left and then came back to her original position.

"Once more."

"Ascend and use Quick Attack..", Ash smirked.

"Block it with Rapid Spin.", Misty started getting worried. The Starly looked young but was fast.

Just as Ash said, Starly sped past the water attack from above and tackled Staryu who started spinning at high speed. Both the Pokémon met head first and pushed back each other.

"Now Wing Attack."

Ash frowned when Starly rammed its wings into Staryu.

"Wing Attack does not harden the wings. So it must be Steel Wing. Great job girl. You mastered Steel Wing."

"Staryu, use Recover and then Swift.", Misty was not ready to back away.

Ash winced on hearing 'Recover'. Staryu glowed a faint blue and then shot out yellow stars.

"Use Whirlwind. Send those stars back. Then follow up with Pursuit."

Starly flapped its wings fast creating a small tornado which sucked in the stars and sent them back to Staryu.

Glowing a faint black Starly pecked at Staryu's gem.

'Damn! He's good.' Misty growled, "Water Gun quick."

"Roost and then use Quick Attack into Pursuit."

Starly ducked down and landed on the ground retracting her wings. This let her evade the Water Gun easily.

Within a bat of an eye, Starly appeared before Staryu and then pecked hard at the gem again.

**What in the name of Arceus was that? She's getting damn fast. I think we must also find some slower friends or we'll be finished in a Trick Room.**

Ash beamed at his starter's calculating comments and then replied, 'I guess she's going to evolve soon. She has been training like crazy.'

Starly gave a loud shout after the last attack and Staryu fell down knocked out.

"Staryu, no!", Misty sunk to her knees in front of her Pokémon and picked it up slowly.

"Great job Starly.", Ash pat his flying type's head and walked towards Misty.

**So we need to endure this ginger now.**

Ash struggled to hold back his laugher on how Lucario was berating Misty.

"Hey Misty, that was a good battle.", he held out his hand for her to grab.

Accepting the offer, Misty got up.

"Thanks. I never thought you would be so good.", Misty sighed.

"Starly has been training a lot lately. So it's actually her achievement.", Ash smiled.

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Ash and Misty were at the Pokémon Centre to get Staryu and Starly healed.

Lucario and Pikachu stood at a corner conversing something.

"Attention Citizens of Viridian City. Our radars have sensed an air-craft belonging to Pokémon thieves. Anyone who has possession of Pokémon be careful. Report suspicious people immediately.", Officer Jenny's voice boomed out from the megaphones outside the Centre.

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"A wanted poster? How flattering!", a woman with long red hairs squealed.

"Flattering? They made my face look bad in the picture.", a man with her frowned while flicking his blue hairs.

"I don't tink dis is da time ta talk crap. Lets head ta da Pokémon Centre and ckeck foh da rare ones.", a small cat Pokémon shouted at the two while licking his paws. The cat had white body with a tail curled at the end. The curl was brown colored and the cat's ears were brown too. Its head held a strange golden structure which looked like an ingot.

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Starly and Staryu were healed and Misty was advised by Nurse Joy not to use Staryu in battles for a few hours.

Suddenly the glass on the roof broke and a smoke ball exploded i9nto the centre.

Ash called out Starly to get rid of the smoke with her Whirlwind. As the some cleared, two humans and a Pokémon were seen.

Prepare for trouble!

And make it double!

To protect the world from devastation!

To unite all peoples within our nation!

To denounce the evils of truth and love!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!

Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

Meowth! That's right!  
"…"

"…"

Ash burst out laughing, "Wow. What a show. Who are you guys? And how come that Meowth can speak?"

"Did you not hear twerp? We are Team Rocket!", the woman, Jessie stated proudly.

"And we are here to take away some good Pokémon.", the man, James added.

Nurse Joy came forward, "But this place has only injured and weak Pokémon. Please do not disturb them."

"Who knows Nurse Joy, maybe we can find some gems in between da junks.", Meowth smirked.

Ash felt his blood boiling.

"Misty, Nurse Joy, Go! Get those Pokémon to safety. I'll handle these clowns."

Misty pulled the nurse inside the room and they headed towards the room where Pokémon were laid.

'Lucario, get beneath the reception desk. Sneak using the shadows. Don't let them see you as of now.'

"A battle is what you want? Fine Go Ekans.", Jessie sneered.

"Koffing go.", James released a purple Pokémon that resembled a face and had two bone-markings on its body.

Jessie's Pokémon was a purple snake with yellow rings on its tails.

"Koffing use Poison Gas."

"Starly, repel it with Whirlwind. Then use Steel Wing."

Koffing's poison was sent back t the trio who coughed loudly.

Starly sent Koffing flying with her wings but was bit by Ekans.

Crying loudly in pain and anger, Starly' started glowing. Her body grew and wings lengthened. A tuft of fur stood up from the head and her eyes got a dangerous glint in them.

'Staarravia…', the newly evolved bird shouted.

"Electro Ball and Aura Sphere."

The evolution was already a shock for the thieves. The fast and strong attacks hit them and their Pokémon with crude power. They busted out of the Centre's wall and flew away.

"Team Rocket is Blasting Off….!", the three cried with anime tears.

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**That completes Chapter Five. Read and Review guys. See ya all later.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone.**

**I am happy to know that you people like my writing. And the new reviews prove that.**

**Now to answer the questions:-**

**Thorn104: I'm not sure. I am adding another Psychic soon. So will think about it.**

**Lightningblade49: Thanks. Staravia's alternate coloration that's not normal shiny is my idea. And yes, Lucario did learn the new move.**

**Alpha B. A. 7: I won't evolve Pikachu here.**

**charles741: Ash will get Gible but later. Cynthia's will debut directly as Gabite.**

**ultimateCCC: No. Aura won't do that but Ash will.**

**Grassy Nol: Misty is Ash's assistant now. I'll be using her character but won't give her importance.**

**Saiyan-Styles: I've taken your suggestion of Magikarp but I won't add Mankey right now. I'll give Ash a Primeape but only because I have a huge plan regarding it.**

**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: Pikachu is not shiny, although I had thought about that idea before. And I mixed Silver from both anime and games. But he's not Giovanni's son here. About Fairy type, I'll introduce Kalos after X and Y release because I need many details.**

**Now to the next chapter. Enjoy.**

CHAPTER SIX-BUGS AND B-ROCK TYPES

Ash smirked at the antics of the Team Rocket trio and then turned to face his newly evolved Staravia.

"Wow girl! You have really grown in a single evolution. That plumage, menacing eyes, and your shiny body. Really an excellent mix.", he beamed and pat his first flying type on her head.

Ash also noticed that Staravia's body was not the mud brown like usual shiny. It looked more of a reddish brown.

'So the Blue Star is affecting her nicely. She's already larger than average Staravia. And from my knowledge, she'll have Intimidate as Ability. That's handy.'

Ash caught Pikachu who had jumped at him and started rubbing his head slowly.

**She's eager to fight. I can sense it Master.**

"Ahh Lucario. I'm sorry to have forgotten about you during that. Thank you my friend."

The Fighting type waved a paw dismissively and motioned towards the room inside the Pokémon Centre.

Nodding slowly, Ash recalled Staravia into her Poke ball with a few words of appreciation. He then walked inside the office room and saw that it led to another room that held many beds.

There were voices coming from the nearby room. Ash walked towards it and poked his head inside. There was a huge machine which was hooked to a computer and nearby was a generator powered by some Pikachu.

'A generator room with Poke ball mass transporter.' Ash frowned.

He saw Misty and Nurse Joy standing near the machine.

"Well, that's finished. All the Pokémon are safe. Now let us see what's happening outside.", Nurse Joy sighed and turned around.

"Ash! Are you ok? What happened to those thieves?", Misty was worried about her new 'friend'.

She knew that they had to journey together as per the terms of their battle. So she decided to be in good terms with Ash. After all she was a teenager and any girl of her age would like a boy who was handsome, strong and calm like him.

Ash smiled back at the Cerulean-native, "I'm fine. Those idiots are on their own way now."

"Ohh Thank you very much Ash! You saved a lot of Pokémon.", Nurse Joy squealed and rushed forward and gave him a hug.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, "Well, that…was..nothing. Anyone would do that. But Nurse Joy, I need the footage tape of the security cameras."

"Why Ash?", Misty looked at him strangely.

"I don't want others knowing my involvement and I also want to keep record of those clowns. I have a strong feeling that they would seek out for me", Ash explained slowly.

As Nurse Joy pointed at the nearby computer, Ash gestured to Pikachu who instantly leapt onto it.

Pikachu slowly touched the computer and sent a small spark at the nearby camera. His tail started twitching. Then suddenly he walked towards a small device beside the computer.

"Pikapi!", the electric type motioned Ash to open the device.

Ash examined the rectangular box and saw that it held a small slot with a disc in it. Showing a thumbs-up to his genius Pokémon, Ash pulled out the disc and pocketed it.

Misty and Nurse Joy looked at the strange trainer and his Pokémon in front of him with wide eyes.

Lucario and Ash chuckled at the two ladies and walked towards the front desk. Nurse Joy followed him with Misty right behind her.

"So Nurse Joy, I hope you can be silent about who helped you.", Ash turned at the Nurse with his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah sure.", the older woman smiled warmly.

Ash nodded and looked at Misty, "So Misty, its 11 a.m. now. We must leave. Pack up and wait at the entrance of the Centre. I hope you remember our bet."

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Ash and Misty were walking through the Viridian Forest. Viridian Forest was situated between Viridian City and Pewter City.

The aspiring Pokémon Master had wanted to explore the forest for capturing a Caterpie. He had abandoned the idea of wanting a Pidgeot as he had a Flying type already and Staraptor would be better than Pidgeot.

'She will learn Close Combat on evolving. I can't wait to see her decimating Rock and Steel types.', Ash grinned internally.

"So Ash, what's your goal?", Misty looked at the young boy.

"Well there are many and I am slowly achieving some of them. Major one being a Pokémon Master.", Ash stated, his chest puffed out with pride. He purposefully avoided his foremost goal of being an Aura Guardian.

Ever since the day Ash met Riolu, he had made it his major goal to be an Aura Guardian. He had learned that the ability of Aura came only by two methods-First was the natural one of inheritance and the other was when Arceus himself granted the ability to a selected person.

Ash did not know who in his family was an Aura adept. Hell, he didn't know any relatives except his parents. It was like he knew everything about his parents yet nothing was clear to him. He wanted to find out who they were, and ultimately who he was.

He could swear that there was some tragic past to his parents and his relatives which they avoided. Ash had wisely decided to not interfere.

Right now, he did not want Misty or anyone else to know of his status as an Aura user. And there were not many people who could claim knowledge about the prestigious position of Aura Guardian or the Aura abilities.

"What about you?", he asked back so that he would not seem to be uninterested in talking.

Misty perked up at this question, "I love Water type. Their shining scales, the glitter in their eyes, their grace, the speed in water. I love everything about Water Types except Gyarados."

This got Ash interested.

"Huh? What's wrong with Gyarados? They are pretty powerful and quite versatile. And really an asset for a Water only trainer as Gyarados is neutral to Grass types, immune to Ground Types and can learn excellent moves of various types including Fire, Electric and Dragon.", Ash lectured his companion.

Lucario who walked behind the duo shook his head slightly as his trainer showed off his knowledge. Pikachu chuckled sitting on Lucario's shoulder.

The two were best friends now. Since their battle for the first time, they had been rivals too. Lucario who had been with Ash for longer time taught him Ash's ways of knowledge and Pikachu in turn helped in training. Although small, Lucario knew that his buddy was a formidable opponent to anyone.

"Well Gyarados are scary. So violent and they destroy anything.", Misty spoke with disgust.

Ash stopped for a second and rummaged through his backpack. Pulling out a book, he opened a particular page and handed it to Misty.

"Read it. It's a report about why Gyarados are as they are. And believe me, the author is very trustworthy. I know him very well.", Ash smirked.

**Really? Is he that smart?**, Lucario teased.

Misty took the book and started reading.

_GYARADOS_

_The Atrocious Pokemon._

_They are a combination of Water and Flying types._

_Known for violent temper, Gyarados are offensive behemoths and are very versatile. Their prowess in physical attacking is infamous. Gyarados are huge and have very special body. Their scales are very tough and their jaws can crack boulders. Although Flying type, Gyarados cannot fly. It can just float to a few feet height._

_It is still a myth to many as how a Gyarados evolves from the weak Magikarp into the monster it is. But there have been special studies and experiments on this phenomenon. The reasons may be as follows:-_

_1-Magikarp if feels weak to protect itself, may evolve due to the determination._

_2-Anger due to being abandoned or abused by a trainer or being bullied in wild also results in the same results._

_3-Strangely, when Gyarados are caught, they tend to be violent but Magikarp that evolve under trainer's care are observed to be quite kind to the trainer and its team mates._

_Gyarados are strong and stubborn. They also react angrily if they feel their allies or trainers are in danger._

_Although Gyarados are very versatile in using Special Attacks, they are better off using physical Attacks._

"Wow. This is really amazing. Everything I knew about those beasts was wrong.", Misty awed.

"I know. Even I have been surprised this much many times. So now let us get rid of your fear and capture you a Magikarp.", Ash smiled.

"Hmmm fine. We'll capture Magikarp before reaching Pewter City. But what is this book? Who wrote it?"

Ash smirked, "It's a thesis about the behavior of various common Pokémon. The compiler of this thesis was awarded a which is a Diploma in Pokémon Psychology."

"Hmm…", Misty turned the book to read the author's name, "Ash Ketchum…Huh ?", she stared at Ash, "You wrote this stuff? I can't believe it.", she blurted out loudly.

**Uhh…It hurts. Why does this ginger have to make so much noise?**, Lucario covered his ears.

"Anyways, we need to find a Caterpie.", Ash walked forward.

"Why? Why Bugs?", Misty whimpered.

**Really? The hot headed Ginger is afraid of Bugs? Arceus knows what else this annoying thing screams at.**

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Ash and Misty had set up camp in a clearing by dusk. Ash had made an instant dish of cookies, gravy and honey. The cookies he had packed were crumbled and topped with gravy of Magikarp scales and Iapapa berries. Honey was splattered over the mix. This dish was a strange combination as the cookies were salty; berries were sour and the honey sweet.

Pikachu had forced Ash to use Ketchup instead of honey in his portion. The electric type loved Ketchup.

Misty was amazed at Ash's cooking skills as this was probably the best food she had eaten in a long time.

Ash had let out Staravia and much to Misty's horror, had made the Flying type eat raw Blue Star leaves.

"What the hell are you doing? Giving poison to your own Pokémon?", the red-head yelled at him.

"Don't yell. I know what I'm doing. I have been doing these things since a long time.", Ash sternly growled at Misty who backed off immediately.

The duo and their Pokémon had eaten and lay down to sleep in their sleeping bags after some time.

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Ash and his Pokémon woke up to the sound of screaming.

Ash jumped up and his Pokémon stood defensively only to find that Misty was trembling in her sleeping bag.

They saw a very small green serpentine Pokémon standing on her belly. The Pokémon had small yellow makings on its body. It was rubbing its small antennas on Misty affectionately.

But the red-head screeched and tried getting the Bug type off her.

Ash walked at the small Pokémon and picked it up gently.

Walking towards the nearby stream, Ash started talking to the Caterpie.

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"Pikachu spark Caterpie lightly. Just make him feel the static. And Caterpie, try focusing the static into your String Shot.", Ash was training his new Caterpie and wanted to teach it some special moves.

Pikachu was sending small waves of electricity and Caterpie was channeling it towards his mouth.

The Bug type spit out a sticky thread covered in electricity but it faded away while in the air.

"Ok. It looks like you need a lot of practice. Just keep trying. I'm sure you can get it done soon.", Ash pat the little one's head.

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Misty had caught a Magikarp on Ash's encouragement and was trying to train it. But the fish was extremely weak and knew only two moves-Tackle and Splash.

Ash had also captured a Magikarp which had an additional move Bounce. It was quite large compared to Misty's. He had commented that the knowledge of Bounce was very important.

Misty was suspicious as how this young boy got so many rare Pokémon but Ash had shrugged it off as dumb luck.

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Ash and Misty were a day away from reaching Pewter City. They had spent a lot of days training in the woods.

As Ash was training his Pokémon, he felt his Aura twitch and sensed some movement behind him. On turning around, he saw a sword coming towards him.

In a flash, Pikachu clashed his steel-hard tail with the sword. The weapon simple flew away from the wielder and got embedded in a tree.

Lucario reacted even violently. He grabbed the attacker by throat and pinned him onto a tree.

'Stop buddy. He is not trying to kill. His emotion is not of evil.', Ash tried calling back his partner.

**He attacked you Master. He deserves punishment.**

'Back off. I'll deal with him.'

The Aura Pokémon snorted and left the shivering boy and walked back to his position behind Ash.

"Who are you and why did you try attacking me?", Ash spoke coldly.

"All I wanted to ask was whether you are a trainer from Pallet Town.", the boy who was dressed in strange attire spoke still shivering.

"Yes I am. So what?"

"Then I Samurai challenge you to a battle!", the boy exclaimed.

"Uhh fine. Metapod, you're up.", Ash motioned to his Bug type.

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"This is a two-on-two battle between Ash Ketchum and Samurai Ken. There are no substitutions and whoever knocks out both Pokémon of the opponent team wins. Begin.", Misty spoke loudly standing beside the make-shift battlefield acting as a referee.

"Go Metapod.", Samurai yelled.

"Iron Defense.", Ash smirked. His special training for the generally weak Bug type had quickly evolved him and now he wanted to test the training in a battle.

"Harden."

The two Metapod glistened and clenched their shells.

"Trap it with Electro Web. Then use String Shot on trees to swing."

Spitting out an electrified net, Ash's Metapod created a trap for the opponent. Using his sticky thread, Metapod pulled itself into the air.

The Bug type started swinging through trees building up formidable momentum.

"While it is trapped, use Iron Defense into Tackle."

Hardening the body again, Metapod let go of the string. Swirling in the air, he dive bombed on the opposing Metapod.

Samurai stood stunned as his Pokémon knew only Harden and a Bug type specialist like him did not even know how to teach it such moves as his opponent's.

His Metapod was outplayed and defeated like nothing.

Suddenly Ash's Metapod started glowing. Its shell cracked and wings sprouted out. As the glow died down, everyone saw a butterfly Pokémon hovering in the air.

"Awesome. You evolved. Great job Butterfree."

'Free…'

The newly evolved Pokémon cried out happily.

Butterfree had four pale blue legs and a nose like structure of similar color. While Butterfree's body was mainly a dark purple-blue, his wings were white with black scales and markings. His head bore two antennas and his eyes were large and compound.

Samurai recalled his fainted Metapod and looked over to his opponent who was rubbing his Pokémon's head.

"Umm Ash, how did you teach all those moves to Metapod? Mine only knows Harden.", Samurai asked expectantly.

"Well if you capture a wild Metapod, it will know only Harden. I trained it from a Caterpie. We trained hard. I made Pikachu zap him for him to learn Electro Web, made him bang his body on rocks to learn Iron Defense. I made him learn to swing so that he won't be a sitting Ducklett for the opponents.", Ash explained happily.

Ash scanned Butterfree in his Pokédex.

_BUTTERFREE_

_The Butterfly Pokémon. It collects honey and pollen from flowers and is known to suck away juice from berries. Its wings are water-proof and allow them to forage even during rains._

_Gender:-Male_

_Ability:-Compoundeyes_

_Level:-16_

_Moves:-Confusion, Sleep Powder, Electro Web, Iron Defense, String Shot, Gust._

_Note:-Late level evolution with new moves learnt of earlier levels. Confusion, Sleep Powder and Gust are new moves learnt._

"Great. Now for the second round.", Ash smirked.

Samurai seemed a bit hesitant now, "Pinsir, help me out."

A huge Pokémon appeared. Its body was brown and had enormous white horns. It had skinny arms with three claws each. The Pokémon's teeth were visible outside and were arranged vertically.

'This one looks like it's a lot better than that Metapod. Better be careful.'

"Butterfree, use Iron Defense."

"Pinsir, Stone Edge."

The Pinsir crossed its arms and sharp stones appeared around it. With a single flick of its arms, the stones flew at Butterfree.

"Use Electro Web to stop the stones.", Ash ordered hastily.

The electric attack trapped the stones in it and started falling down.

"Send it back with Confusion.", Ash smirked at his improvised idea.

Butterfree's eyes radiated an eerie pink and the trapped stones along with the web hit Pinsir with brute force.

"Pinsir, fight back with Storm Throw.", Samurai yelled.

Pinsir lunged at Butterfree and caught him by his wings. With a mighty roar, Pinsir smacked Butterfree across the ground.

"Butterfree!", Ash yelled as he knew that Storm Throw always caused a Critical Hit which means the damage would be doubled.

But Butterfree quickly fluttered into the air again and glared at Pinsir.

**Iron Defense thrice and 4x defensive typing is no joke. It is like hitting me with a Rock or Dark type move.**

"Now Butterfree, grab him with Confusion and use Gust full power."

Once again using his psychic powers, Butterfree picked up Pinsir. With a mighty flap of wings, Butterfree sent a large blade of wind at the Stag Beetle Pokémon.

Pinsir was strong but not much durable. After the super-effective attacks and exhaustion, it fell down unconscious.

"Pinsir is unable to battle. Butterfree wins. The victor of this battle is Ash Ketchum.", Misty announced from sidelines.

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Ash and Misty had reached Pewter City with Samurai's help. On entering the city, they saw a small battlefield being prepared and many seats arranged for spectators to watch.

"The Tournament is day after tomorrow. And the qualification is earning the badge of Pewter City Gym. So I need to battle Brock, the Gym Leader today itself. I have six hours before the Gym closes for today.", Ash spoke out to Misty.

"I'll go with you. You need audience and a supporter.", Misty smiled at her new found crush.

"Then let's go to the Pokémon Centre first and then to the Gym. I didn't tell this before but Samurai gave me a TM which he had gotten from someone he defeated. I'll use it here.", Ash mentioned as he walked forward.

**Master, is it just my suspicion or the Ginger is really trying to get too friendly with you?**

'Huh? Whats the problem?'

**This annoying brat doesn't suit you Master. You deserve someone really good.**

'I do understand what you say and I don't see Misty as more than a friend.' Ash assured his first Pokémon as they all walked together towards the Pokémon Centre.

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'I wish I could go out and see different places. Dad has come back but I need to find a worthy travelling partner for a long journey. I need to travel with someone who is really capable as a trainer and a traveler. Someone smart, calm and calculating. I cannot waste my time with stupid people. I need to hone my own skills with my companion's help while assisting him in his own goal.' a lone teenager sat on a huge rock inside Pewter City Gym.

Brock Slate. That was his name. He had always dreamt of being a star Breeder and a Pokémon Doctor. Some thought him to be crazy for trying two huge professions. But he knew that it was quite natural. He had been a good Pokémon trainer, an excellent student and always an excellent human. He was praised by everyone for how well he managed his siblings, the Gym, the protection of Pewter City as the Gym Leader. He was known for his achievements as an excavator at Mount Moon, as a great cook, as a great help to the injured and weak Pokémon at the Pewter City Pokémon Centre and much more.

But he was never praised for being a great friend, for he never had true friends. He was always isolated. He never had time for friends, for enjoyment. Instead, he found enjoyment in what he could do. Now, he was the Gym Leader of Pewter City sanctioned by the Kanto Branch of Pokémon League.

He was allowed to use Rock Type Pokémon and was gifted some rare Pokémon by the League for his achievements and also for the Pokémon Promotion. Some were for the Gym and some for his personal use.

Brock was fed up now and wanted to get out of his rocky hometown and see the world. He wanted to learn and grow.

Suddenly the doors of the Gym creaked open.

"Who goes there?", Brock asked in his booming voice.

"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I am here to challenge the Gym Leader Brock.", the voice of a youngster yelled back.

"Fine. I am Brock and I accept your challenge.", Brock spoke confidently while clicking a small switch near his perch.

He got up and faced the challenger as the lights flashed on.

Brock raised an eyebrow as he saw a teenager of his height standing near the door. He was lean and his clothing didn't do much to hide his well toned body.

The boy wore a black jean and a white full sleeve shirt with a Lucario etching on chest and a blue jacket over it. A red cap was on his head while his palms were covered with finger-less gloves.

Brock saw a Pikachu sitting on the boy's shoulder and a strange jackal-like Pokémon behind the boy. An orange haired girl stood behind him. Brock could swear he saw her somewhere before but could not remember exactly.

"So Ash it is. Is this your first Gym Battle?"

"Yes. Why?", Ash frowned.

"Well then. The rules are, three-on-three battle with only the challenger allowed substituting Pokémon."

"Fine. Lets go Staravia.", Ash yelled as he released his Flying type Pokémon onto the battlefield.

Staravia appeared in a shower of sparkles and floated in the air occasionally flapping her wings.

"A Flying type? I hope you know what you are facing. Geodude, lets rock.", Brock shouted.

His Pokémon was a boulder-like face with two arms.

Staravia looked into Geodude's eyes and gave a loud screeched. Her eyes glinted and Geodude looked down slowly.

"Intimidate is fun.", Ash smirked.

"Rock Blast Geodude."

The Rock Type picked up small rocks and hurled at the opponent who simply hovered in the air and evaded every rock with precision.

"Close in on him and use Mud Slap.", Ash smiled. He did not want to reveal his ace weapons so soon.

"Use Rock Blast to defend.", Brock was still calm. He was starting to enjoy the battle.

As Staravia use her wings to hurl wet mud at the Rock type, the boulder-like Pokémon simply used Rocks to defend itself.

"Rollout into Mega Punch."

Curling himself into a ball, Geodude rolled towards Staravia and at the last second, opened up to punch at the bird.

"Ascend."

Staravia smirked as she reached the roof of the Gym even before Geodude could comprehend what was happening.

"Now dive into a Wing Attack.", Ash knew he would have to risk his special move. Brock was good at manipulating the field and Pokémon alike.

"Mega Punch. Force it down.", Brock wanted to finish it quickly. He could see that the shiny Staravia had insane speed and was very well trained.

"Switch into Steel Wing. Give it your all.", Ash roared.

Just as Geodude tried using brute force to pin down his target, Staravia's wings hardened and smashed into Geodude. With an audible cry, Geodude flew back a bit and landed hard.

"Geodude, no!", Brock cried out stunned at the surprise Steel type move.

"Pursuit.", Ash stated proudly knowing that this round was his.

Glowing in a black outline, Starvia pecked at the part Ground type and Geodude fell down unconscious.

"Great job Ash. That's really a marvelous performance. Your Staravia has grown so much after our little battle.", Misty clapped from sidelines.

**I wish I could battle here Master.**

As if sensing Lucario's wish, Brock said something unexpected.

"Ash, I must say you have amazed me a lot. I wish to make an offer to you so that I can test your skills and power."

"Huh? What do you intend?", Ash frowned at the Gym Leader.

"I shall give you the Boulder Badge by concluding this round as our official battle. But I want an unofficial battle with your strongest Pokémon.", he smirked.

'This is perfect. I can know how skilled he really is and whether he is the one I must request. He is good, no doubt but this has to be the final test.', Brock thought as he put forth the offer. He had decided that if Ash accepts the offer and displays similar skills, he would request to be allowed to travel together.

'Lucario?'

**Do you even need to ask Master? I serve you and your decision is my decision. Your wish is my command.**

"Fine. I accept.", Ash smiled confidently. He knew there was no chance of a Rock type defeating his prized starter so easily.

Brock walked towards the younger boy with new found respect and anxiety.

"I'll use my strongest Pokémon whom I have trained for three years now. And here is the Boulder Badge that you earned. I am glad to hand you this. Give me your Pokédex."

Taking Ash's Pokédex, Brock clicked some tabs and the dex spoke:-

_Gym Badge registered. Boulder Badge earned._

_Prize money:-1500 credits._

_Secondary Prize:-TM-Rock Tomb_

"Now lets have our main battle.", Brock smiled and moved back to his position.

"Don't hold back because this one Pokémon of mine is whom I keep for the last. He's my best friend and my strongest battler. Lucario", Ash tried the psychological warfare.

"Well while I'm a Rock Type Gym Leader, I personally love two more types-Steel and Poison.", Brock smirked, "And I choose Scizor."

A red mantis Pokémon came out of Brock's Poke ball. It was thin and had tough armor. Its arms had pincers that were crossed across Scizor's chest. The Bug type also had small wings.

'Uhh it will surely know Fighting type moves and Lucario's moves would all be neutral except Blaze Kick. You ready my friend? This will be the strongest one till now. We better give it our all.'

**I am ready Master. Let's win this.**

"Ready Ash?", Brock smirked.

With Ash's nod, Lucario walked into the field and stood calmly, his arms crossed and eyes closed. He activated his Aura sight and started assessing his opponent. He saw that this one was a bit stronger than Pikachu.

**Master, he seems to be stronger than Pikachu.**

"Okay Scizor, Bullet Punch."

'Priority to beat speed huh? Show him some of the real speed we deal with and dodge each of them with grace. Use this battle to show off.'

Scizor's pincers were coated in a metallic glow and he rushed at Lucario. As Scizor jabbed at the Aura Pokémon, Lucario started moving. With perfection, Lucario dodged all the punches while his eyes were closed.

'What the hell? How is it dodging with eyes closed? Lucario was its name as Ash mentioned but what type is it?', Brock thought tensed.

'Dark Pulse.'

Lucario cupped his palms and a swirling mass of dark energy appeared between them. With a grunt, he pushed the energy which was released in a beam of several black rings.

"Dark Pulse huh? Scizor, Quick Attack to dodge. Then use Superpower."

'Use Aura Sphere into the air and stop his Superpower with a ThunderPunch.'

Scizor dodged the Dark Pulse dashing around the field and then dug out a huge rock to hurl at the opponent. Lucario fired a pale blue ball of energy into the air and then started charging his next attack.

'Crap. That Pokémon is a lot stronger than expected. Its not an ordinary one. It is a very high level and highly trained Pokémon.'

Just as the rock hurled by Scizor closed in on Lucario, he swung his static covered fist. The rock crumbled into pieces and flew back. The rock chunks covered in electricity pelted the Bug type but did not do any big damage. But then the Aura Sphere came flying from the air and exploded violently on Scizor.

Lucario winced after punching the rock.

'I don't know what they are up to but it will end here.' Brock thought.

"Scizor, charge in with X-Scissor.", he called out confidently.

From the dust that flew due to Aura Sphere exploding, Scizor emerged. There were few bruises over his steel hide. He looked tired but otherwise was ok.

Brock decided that Ash was the perfect person to ask for travelling together. He would ask Ash whatever the result of their battle may be.

'So they don't know about you. He thinks you are a Dark Type. Grab his pincers and use Blaze Kick. When he falls, use Blaze Kick again.'

Lucario held out his paw and stopped the X-Scissor with some effort and then his flame covered leg impacted the Bug/Steel Pokémon who screeched loudly on being hit by the super-effective move.

"Scizor no!", Brock yelled desperately. He had never thought about the possibility of a Fire type move.

Lucario didn't have to attack again as Scizor's charred body hit the ground.

Brock rushed over to see his Pokémon who on contact with Brock, slowly opened his eyes and gave a weak nod.

Brock recalled his defeated Pokémon with a few words of thanks and then walked over to Ash who was standing with a palm over Lucario's shoulder and Pikachu on the Aura Pokémon's other shoulder.

"Ash, you have passed my test. Now, I wanted to ask you something.", Brock spoke slowly.

"Huh? What is it?", Ash looked on curiously.

"I wish to travel and learn things from the outside world. But I wanted a worthy travelling partner. I searched for long and now found you. Will you allow me the honor of travelling with you Ash?"

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**That concludes my longest Chapter till now.**

**This Chapter showed some of Brock's POV and also showcased some good battles.**

**Now Brock will join Ash.**

**Although I feel sad to tell this, I have avoided Pidgeot due to Staravia's presence.**

**Ash gets Butterfree and he knows some great moves now.**

**Lucario is revealed, although never directly to be at a very high level.**

**Brock loves Rock, Steel and Poison Type Pokémon.**

**Next Chapter will have the tournament and Cynthia's entry. Also, a battle between Cynthia and Ash.**

**See ya all later.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you everyone once again for the tremendous response given to my story. Now to reply for the reviews.**

**Deus Orion:- Thank you. Lucario's personality is made to match Ash's. Calm, intelligent and naughty.**

**ultimateCCC:- I'll think over it. If I don't add it to Ash's team, I might just give it to another important character.**

**Lightningblade49:- Don't accuse before you see the truth dude. Butterfree does not learn Iron Defense but Metapod can learn it. As for Close Combat, Staraptor is the only Fying type to learn the move. I had been suggested to make Gym Leaders stronger than usual which is why I gave Brock a Scizor.**

**stars90:-In my opinion, Dawn is very young for Ash. Its not the anime that Ash will stay ten always. Then about Pidgeot, I might add him later on. I've been thinking about Treecko even before you suggested. I love Sceptile which is why Treecko would be good. So I might bring him in too.**

**TheWiseDragon:- Thank you my friend. I'm doing all these works to please you all, my readers.**

**Now to the story. Enjoy.**

CHAPTER SEVEN-LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT

"Ash, will you allow me the honor of travelling with you?", Brock looked at his latest challenger.

Ash had soundly defeated Brock with his excellently trained Pokémon and astounding skills. Lucario had been a wizard in the battle showing amazing abilities and fighting all the while with eyes closed.

"I…I need to think over it Brock. I cannot tell you right away. But you can always count me as a friend.", Ash extended his hand which Brock shook happily.

"I understand. Take your time. I guess you are participating in the Tournament tomorrow. I should not be partial but as your friend and as a fan of your battling, I wish to tell you some things.", Brock smirked.

Ash nodded amused at how highly Brock was seeing him.

"After this battle I feel that you are the one who must get the first prize which is an Egg of a rare Pokémon and a complete set of evolutionary stones. Your skills can take that Pokémon to the best level.", Brock paused briefly and then continued, "Second prize is another Pokémon with a full set of Vitamins and the third is a full set of all Poke Balls except of course the Master Ball."

"Do you know how many people would be participating? And the rules?", Ash smiled internally as he was getting all necessary information needed so easily.

"Not many because this tournament is not a big one and not much publicized. I don't know about rules but my guess is that all the preliminary battles would be one on one with the final being three on three.", Brock inhaled deeply, "And Ash, watch out for two of the competitors."

"And who might they be?", Ash raised an eyebrow.

"First is a kid from Pallet called Gary.", Brock was about to continue when Ash interrupted.

"Gary Oak?", Ash gave a maniac grin. He knew that despite being an arrogant womanizer, Prof. Oak's grandson was also intelligent and calculating. So he would be a great opponent.

Ash was waiting to battle Gary since he left for the journey. This was the perfect opportunity to beat Gary down a few pegs.

"Yeah that's the one.", Brock nodded, "And the other one was a girl. She used some pretty rare Pokémon and was really strong."

"Lets see what happens. I hope I'm not forced to use Lucario. Using him everywhere would be an overkill.", Ash smirked.

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"It was an awesome battle Ash. I never knew Lucario was so strong. But what I wanna know is, what type is Lucario?", Misty smiled sweetly at Ash.

"Well he's a Fighting/Steel type Pokémon. You couldn't guess because he knew all different types of moves. Am I right?",, Ash grinned.

"Exactly. I recognized Dark Pulse, ThunderPunch and Blaze Kick from those. But what was the other move he used? That blue sphere.", Misty glanced at her crush's powerful Pokémon while speaking who was walking with Pikachu on his head asleep.

"Its called Aura Sphere. It's a very rare Fighting type move which can be learned by Lucario, a few Riolu, Togekiss and two Pokémon from the Unova region called Mienfoo and Mienshao. Also, some Legendaries are known to learn it.", Ash puffed up as he explained.

**You see that Master? She's trying to get too close to you. Better make her stay away.**

'I guess you're right. May be the sweet talk is the way you see it.'

"Ahh!", Ash grunted as he felt a powerful Aura closing in on him.

**What's that? Such powerful Aura. It has to be an Aura user.**

"What happened Ash?", Misty supported Ash who was holding his head.

'This Aura is powerful but not in control. The person doesn't know about their power. I can also sense a Pokémon. Matching Auras.'

**They're coming towards us., **Lucario growled as he sensed the two Aura moving at them slowly.

"Someone is coming. A human and a Pokémon. Hide now!", Ash commanded fiercely at his companion who was frightened by now. Misty quickly went behind a tree and then suddenly the trees from the opposite direction rustled.

"Ah! I can see a clearing. You're doing good Riolu.", a female voice spoke.

The voice was low and sweet yet held a commanding power and incredible determination.

The bushes and branches moved apart and a Riolu jumped into the clearing. On seeing the calculating looks of the man and a Lucario, she immediately moved forward and spread her arms wide.

"What happened girl? Huh?", the young girl who was following Riolu stopped in her tracks on seeing Ash.

Ash felt as if he would fall down. The person who stood in front of him was absolutely gorgeous. A very fair girl with blonde hairs and a black dress. The dress consisted of a long sleeved top and pencil-bottom pants, both deep black. There was a black cape on the back. The girl's hairs were pinned using two clips that looked like Lucario's appendages.

'How can this be?', the two humans thought at the same moment.

**I don't know Master. This is just as weird as how you look like Sir Aaron.**

'Queen Rin? That's not possible.', Ash couldn't believe he was seeing the person from his vision with Lucario.

'This…This…is unbelievable. The Knight I saw and researched about. Sir Aaron. How can he be in front of me?', the girl mused.

'Why the hell is Ash ogling that girl?', Misty thought angrily.

Ash walked forward slowly but Riolu stepped in front of him. Lucario looked at the little Fighting type and shook his head making her step aside.

"When any life meets another…", the girl started speaking in a daze.

"…something new is born.", Ash completed the sentence slowly and then spoke again, "All lives touch other lives…"

"…to create something anew and alive.", the girl mumbled back.

"What the hell are you two mumbling?", Misty shouted from her hiding spot quickly revealing herself.

Ash and the girl snapped out of their spell and looked around slowly.

**Oh come on Ginger. Why couldn't you just shut up?**, a frustrated Lucario snarled at the orange-head mentally.

"How? How did you know that? How did you complete my words?", the girl looked petrified.

"Because I read it. My question is how do you know it and about how you finished my line.", Ash stated rather fiercely.

"I read it too.", the girl growled out.

"And who might you be?", Misty snapped.

**Quit it witch. You don't have the rights to interfere my Master's conversation.**, growling angrily, Lucario pushed Misty back and motioned his fingers not to get in between his Master and the newly appeared girl.

"Well, I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself. I am Cynthia Adams. I'm from Celestic Town in the Sinnoh region.", the girl spoke slowly.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. These are my partners Lucario and Pikachu. And that's my assistant Misty.", Ash chuckled at the last part.

**Greetings Lady Cynthia.**, Lucario bowed low to the girl.

"Aww so sweet of you Lucario. You're such a fine specimen. Moreover it seems you are also trained in Aura and not just in battling.", Cynthia smiled at the Aura Pokémon.

'She knows about Aura?!', Ash wondered.

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"You see, I'm a Pokémon Trainer and I also study about history.", Cynthia smiled. She couldn't help but be attracted towards the guy she had met. Ash was handsome, calm, intelligent and different. She felt being pulled towards him automatically.

Ash, Cynthia and Misty were in a café near the Pokémon Centre. Even though Misty didn't like Cynthia much, she went so that she could be with Ash.

But to her utter disappointment, Ash had been interested only in Cynthia. The two had been conversing while Misty was almost ignored by Ash. Their Pokémon were very happy being together too. Cynthia's Riolu and a Gabite were enjoying their meet with Ash's Lucario and Pikachu.

Gabite was dark blue, with red underbelly that covered from middle of her abdomen to bottom of jaw. Rest of her underside was light blue. Four fins that resembled jet planes rested one on each arm, another on back and last one on tail. Jet engine-like horns adorned on the sides of head with light blue stripes in the middle. Along with black sclera and gold colored irises, Gabite also had spikes on hind limbs and sharp claws on feet.

"Uhh this may sound a bit odd but are you related to Professor Carolina Adams of Celestic Town?", Ash asked curiously.

'This is not at all acceptable. I cannot let her get Ash away from me.', Misty was fuming due to the conversation she was witnessing.

"She's my grandma. But how do you know her?", Cynthia was surprised about Ash's question because not many people knew of the Professor. Her grandmother was someone who always maintained a low profile.

A young male voice chuckled from the door of the café, "Of course my Grandpa would have told him. Ashy-boy can obviously not know anything by himself."

As the duo of Misty and Cynthia turned around, Ash cursed his stupid rival internally.

"Jr. Oak.", Ash snorted darkly.

"I'm known as Gary Oak. And what do we have here? Ashy-boy with a lovely lady?", it was then that the spiky-haired youngster noticed Lucario.

"Ahh! A Lucario. How fitting to a beauty like you.", Gary moved towards Cynthia completely ignoring Misty.

"For your information Mister, that Lucario isn't mine. Ash here owns him.", the blonde-haired teen smirked. She knew that this newcomer was probably a nuisance to Ash from how they treated each other. She knew Gary would not like this news.

"Huh?! Ash and Lucario. Don't tell me this loser has something like it. I'm amazed it even stays with him.", Gary flicked his right arm through his brown hairs.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT GIVES YOU RIGHT TO TALK LIKE CRAP YOU IDIOT?!", Misty yelled at the newly appeared nuisance.

"Well what's your name beautiful? And while I'm at it, I also invite you for dinner with me.", the young Oak simply acted as if Misty didn't exist and tried closing in on Cynthia only to be cut short by Gabite who snarled at her trainer's stalker.

"Save me from this idiot Ash.", Cynthia pleaded in a very low voice.

"Leave it Gabite. He's not worth it.", Ash spoke calmly and gave a small pat on the Dragon-type's head and then took Cynthia's hand in his own, "Sorry Jr. Oak but this damsel is with me right now. So don't waste my time and go irritate someone else."

"You…You…!", Gary growled at his once-friend and tried lunging forward but was stopped when he saw Lucario and Pikachu moving in front of Ash. The Aura Pokémon had created a blue bone in his hand and was smiling lightly while the Electric type sparked his cheeks.

"Don't sweat it. If you want to prove yourself, try meeting me in finals of tomorrow's tournament.", Ash smirked while recalling Lucario and he still held Cynthia's hand. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and Ash walked towards the Pokémon Centre with Cynthia and her Gabite.

'That idiot…He talks crap to Ash and due to him, Ash went with Cynthia. This is just unbelievable', Misty clenched her fists tightly.

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"We want to keep them here for the night Nurse Joy. We'll pick them up early in the morning.", Ash spoke as he handed over all of his Pokémon except Lucario and told Cynthia to do the same and keep only Gabite.

"Why Ash?", Cynthia was surprised by this move.

"Well I just told Gary that you are with me for a while. Its better to have less Pokémon on a date. So how about Ice cream? I guess you'll like Vanilla.", Ash gave a sly grin and winked at the Sinnoh native who blushed furiously and slowly nodded a yes.

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**So that was the Professor's Grandson you always tell about Master. He was so arrogant. But I must say you floored him nicely. And not to mention, your little date.**, Lucario nudged Ash's arm as they sat in their room. Pikachu was sleeping in Lucario's lap.

Ash had been out with Cynthia for a while and the two had enjoyed a lot which obviously had Misty very angry.

**When we returned, I couldn't help but laugh at the orange-haired witch. She hates Lady Cynthia.**

"I don't care about it buddy. But I must admit that I'm really surprised by today's events. I just met her and we both went on an almost date.", Ash smiled fondly on remembering the blonde-haired beauty, "But I have a feeling that tomorrow we'll face her. You know we cannot hold back. Brock is counting on us to get that Pokémon."

**You know that I'll never back off or hold back. I'll always stand by your side Master.**

"But what is our ace against Cynthia is our newest Pokémon and our battling style. We never stay in one single idea. As we keep on switching strategies, we can catch them off guard.", Ash smirked.

**And I want to battle Jr. Oak.**, Lucario narrowed his eyes.

"You can have the honors of humiliating him.", Ash grinned.

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"This is the Five-yearly Tournament held on Pewter City's Foundation Day. Every five years we give exciting prizes to the winners and some even get rare Rock Type Pokémon. Most of this year's competitors are very young, energetic and promising.", the announcer spoke into his microphone.

The audience who were majorly the residents of Pewter City cheered loudly. They always loved watching the travelling trainers compete in their town. And not to mention the prizes amassed by them were given away to the victors of the tournament.

Ash was sitting in a separate enclosure made for competitors. Beside him was Cynthia. Gary was in the front row. There were a total of eight participants.

"We have eight competitors this year and thus the tournament will have four rounds namely the Preliminaries and Semi-finals which are both one-on-one, the Final three-on-three battle and the loser's final to determine the third place winner. The First Prize is a full set of all Evolutionary Stones and an egg of a very rare Rock Type Pokémon.", the announcer continued his speech.

"Better meet me in the finals.", Cynthia whispered to Ash. She was wearing turquoise sleeveless top and black pants with her trademark hair-clips and a dark blue pendant that gave a deep glow. The gem's twinkle reflected in the chocolate brown eyes of the young guardian beside Cynthia.

Ash was covering his face with a blue hat he had worn but his eyes were visible. His choice of dress was very odd as it comprised of coal black shirt and pants, a blue coat which had a few golden designs on the sides, a black cape and a large blue hat. The hat had a design on the front which resembled a hawk's face, probably Pidgeot or Staraptor.

Cynthia had liked his attire because of how much he resembled Aura Guardians but had not dared speak her mind. She blushed as Ash reminded her of the dreams showing Sir Aaron kissing Queen Rin. They had not spoken about those visions. She was not sure how he might react.

The aspiring Pokémon Master smiled lightly and pet Pikachu who was on his lap with his glove-covered hands, "I promised a friend to win here. So I have to be in the finals. I hope you don't mind being defeated by me."

"Yeah? Don't underestimate. Looks can be deceiving.", Cynthia smirked at her crush. She had to admit that this guy was amazingly confident.

"Same goes for you.", Ash chuckled.

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Misty was angry at Ash for going away with Cynthia but she now wished that the two battled and that Ash would win. She heard the announcer speaking about the first prize and turned her attention towards the podium.

"The Second Prize is another egg, a future Ground Type as a Rock Type was unavailable and also a full set of Vitamins.", the girl who was announcing smiled and continued, "The third prize is a set of all kind of Poke balls except the Master Ball. Also, the remaining participants will get a consolation prize which consist a set of Medicines like Potions, Elixir, Ether and Revives."

'I hope Ash wins here. My plan will work if that Cynthia loses soon and she will be broken. I'll snatch away Ash at the precise moment.' Misty smirked internally.

"Now to introduce our Guests of Honor. Please welcome the Mayor of Viridian City, Mr. Raymond Reed and the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Mr. Flint Slate. And I'm Marian, your host for the celebration.", the announcer spoke and two men walked up to the podium. One was a huge man in brown business suit. He was fair and a bit old with white streaks in his hairs and mustache. He wore a pair of glasses.

The second man was an exact copy of Brock, but older.

"So that must be Brock's father.", Ash muttered which received a nod from Cynthia.

"Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I am Raymond Reed, the Mayor of Viridian City. I have been invited to attend this great event which commemorates the establishment of Pewter City by the Gym Leaders Mr. Flint Slate and his son Brock. It is an honor to be attending such a tournament which despite being small has its own importance.", the Mayor spoke into the microphone and then paused a bit before continuing, "This event is the result of the hard work and pure hearts of the Pewter citizens. You all amass the things needed for the events including the prizes in five years and hold such an amazing competition to give your prizes to worthy trainers."

"How boring..", Gary snorted.

"The bond between Pokémon and Humans is strengthened because people like you exist. Everything done here is collaboration between these two sections and thus the competition is a success. The event also acts as a booster to young and rookie trainers who learn many things while sometimes it also corrects the ones who are making some errors. I see this as a repetitive historic event which holds Pewter City as its heart. Let the Tournament begin. Good Luck to all the competitors."

As the crowd cheered and clapped, Ash smiled, "He's a good man. Ever since he was elected the Mayor, Viridian City has improved a lot. And now he shows his compassion again. After all, Pewter City is also under Viridian's control."

"Really? Pewter has no independent management or council?", Cynthia was surprised that a city which housed a major Pokémon Gym didn't have its own administration.

"No. Pewter City is under the Gym Leader and the Police Force who in turn report to Viridian Council. That's mainly because not many people travel through Pewter City. The route to Mount Moon in the north is very tough. So most travelers cross Diglett Cave which connects Vermillion City and the north end of Viridian Forest.", Ash lectured his friend.

"Hmmm. Anyways, there they are drawing the battle match-ups. Lets see who battles whom.", Cynthia smirked.

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Cynthia had her first battle and had used Riolu to grab a swift win against her opponent's Raticate while Ash used Butterfree against a Poliwhirl. With Energy Ball learnt from the TM gifted by Samurai and his excellent Electro Web, the butterfly Pokémon sealed the victory easily.

Gary was proving to be quite good when he used a Murkrow to decimate his opponent's Ivysaur. There was another notable competitor Edward who battled and won quickly using a Stantler against Bibarel.

Now was time for the second round and much to Ash's joy, he was paired against Gary while Cynthia was to face Edward.

Brock was acting as the referee. He raised his arms into the middle, "This is the semi-final one-on-one battle between Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum, both from Pallet Town. Direct Elimination. Begin"

Gary smirked, "Get ready to lose Ashy-boy. I choose Wartortle.".

Gary's starter appeared with a growl. Ash knew that he had to use brute force along with tactics. This opponent would not be ordinary.

Wartortle was a tailed bipedal indigo-blue turtle Pokémon with brown shell and long furry tails and ears. Wartortle had small fangs protruding out of its mouth, brown irises, and three sharp claws on its arms. Small, oval shaped spots were located under its eyes

'Lucario, crush him.', Ash thought darkly as he released his trusted partner.

The Aura Pokémon gave a happy growl on being able to battle and promptly closed his eyes letting his aura sense flare.

"That loser. Wartortle, use Scald.", Gary snorted.

The turtle Pokemon raised his arms and the ground slowly split up. Boiling water rushed towards Lucario. But surprising everyone bar Brock and Ash, Lucario shot out a swift Aura Sphere which split the wave of water.

'Earthquake'

Lucario's powerful legs impacted hard on the ground and the field shook violently. Wartortle fell down on losing balance but recovered quickly.

"Aqua Jet into Brick Break.", Gary growled. He needed to exploit type weaknesses because Lucario was stronger than expected. The speed of attacking and the power was evident that this was an Ace Pokémon.

Wartortle covered itself in water and tried punching Lucario.

'Force Palm and ThunderPunch.'

The Aura Pokemon held out his left palm and stopped cold the Water type's movement. In a blink of an eye, his static-covered right fist bumped into Wartortle.

As the charred and smoking Wartortle got up weakly, a blue ball of energy hit him square in the face ending the battle.

"Wartortle is unable to battle. Lucario wins. The Victor is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.", Brock raised his arm towards Ash.

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Ash stood near the battlefield for the last time that day. In front of him was the beautiful girl he was going to face. Cynthis's long blonde hairs moved slowly in the wind and a part of it concealed her right eye. The visible left eye twinkled in anticipation as she threw her first Poke ball.

Her Riolu appeared with a squeak.

"Staravia, Deal.", Ash smiled.

Ash's new flying type hovered in the air.

"Quick Attack into Force Palm.", Cynthia's sharp voice resounded.

"Split. Then Whirlwind.", Ash smirked.

Just before Riolu tried hitting Staravia, she disappeared and five of her images appeared in front of the Emanation Pokémon. All the copies flapped their wings and Riolu flew backwards.

"Sense her Aura. Then use Crunch.", Cynthia cried.

Somersaulting in the air, Riolu closed her eyes. Recognizing the real opponent, she lashed out with sharp fangs.

"Steel Wing. Then Aerial Ace."

The powerful bite from Riolu was effectively neutralized on Staravia's metallic wings. Staravia swiftly rammed into the Fighting Type with white streaks of wind on her body, knocking back the opponent.

"Get up Riolu. Please use Reversal.", Cynthia pleaded.

Riolu's body gave a red glow and she collided into Staravia. Both the Pokémon fell down and tried getting up slowly but at last, lost consciousness.

"Both the Pokémon are unable to battle. First round is a tie. Release your next Pokémon.", Brock shouted.

"Great job girl. You did very good. Thank you.", Ash smiled as he recalled his Flying type. Cynthia had already recalled Riolu and sent out another Pokémon.

It was an egg shaped bird Pokémon with blue and red triangles over the body. Three spikes on the head were tipped the same colors. Its eyes were calm but sharp. The Pokémon gave a shrill cry and smiled happily.

"Wow. A Togekiss.", Ash awed and pulled out his Pokédex.

_TOGEKISS_

_The Jubilee Pokémon. It can sense emotions and spreads happiness. It does not like anger, hatred, betrayal and other negative emotions. Togekiss are also excellent battlers._

_Gender:- Male_

_Ability:- Serene Grace_

_Level:-28_

_Moves:- N/A_

"You're up buddy.", Ash whispered to Pikachu who happily leapt into the battlefield.

"Air Slash, dear."

"Thunderbolt."

Sharp blades of wind collided with powerful wave of electricity and exploded.

"Work Up and then Aura Sphere.", Cynthia started getting impatient.

"Nasty Plot and then Electro Ball.", Ash was still calm.

The two opponents boosted their stats and then attacked once again creating another stalemate.

"Pikachu are generally weak to physical moves. So, ExtremeSpeed into Sky Attack.", Cynthia was sure she could win now.

But Ash had other plans, "ExtremeSpeed into Volt Tackle."

Cynthia's face of triumph turned into shock when she saw Pikachu using ExtremeSpeed.

'Impossible. How is this happening?', she thought with a bit fear of defeat.

Togekiss and Pikachu collided into each other glowing white and yellow respectively. But Pikachu tore through the opponent like hot knife through butter and growled at the fallen Togekiss.

"One last Thunderbolt.", Ash growled.

Pikachu's powerful attack sparked the poor Flying type and the round was won comfortably.

"My last hope. Gabite, battle dance.", Cynthia released her starter who snarled at Pikachu.

Ash snapped his fingers and Pikachu leapt back out of the battlefield.

"It's a good thing I met someone as strong and high leveled as you. You are my secret Ace in this battle now. Gyarados, rise.", Ash spoke to his Poke ball and hurled it.

To say Cynthia was shocked would be an understatement. She had anticipated Ash to call out Lucario after seeing the last battle. A Gyarados was something she least expected.

The blue Dragon-like serpentine beast roared on its entry from Ash's Poke ball and leered at Gabite. The Dragon type lowered her gaze and shivered slightly before resorting to stay firm.

"Dragon Rage Gabite."

"Match it."

The two Pokémon growled and let loose bluish flames that simply cancelled out each other.

"Switch to Dragon Pulse.", Cynthia ordered frantically.

"Thunderbolt. Blast it.", Ash smirked.

"Such an idiot. Gabite is a Ground type.", Gary muttered from his seat.

'He's gained control. He'll win. I'm sure.', Misty thought.

The electric attack simply crushed the Draconic orb hurled by Gabite.

"Dragon Claw.", Cynthia was really really worried now. She had never been outclassed so brutally and gracefully. This guy was a natural master at battling.

"Trap Gabite with Twister and then use Ice Fang.", Ash smiled. He knew that the battle was nearing the end.

With a small swirl of his tail, Gyarados created a tornado which trapped the Cave Pokémon.

"Try Sand Tomb to break the Twister."

Gabite tried hurling sand and mud from inside the tornado but it didn't help much. Gyarados suddenly appeared near her and chomped down hard on her arm with frost covered fangs.

Gabite screamed in agony.

"Gabite!", Cynthia cried loudly.

"Finish with Aqua Tail.", Ash closed his eyes and sighed.

Gyarados's tail was swirling with water. The long tail slammed into Gabite knocking her out cold.

Brock grinned and raised his hand, "Gabite is unable to battle. Gyarados wins. The Victor of the battle and the Tournament is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."

The two competitors looked across the field and thought the same thing, 'I'm in Love!'

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**That concludes the seventh chapter. I hope everyone likes it. Read and Review please.**

**See ya guys next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here's the next chapter. To the reviews.**

**LightRayPearlshipper:- I know it's too fast but I did it because this same thing happened to me. But neither Ash nor Cynthia will accept it soon.**

**Ohaeder:-Wow. That review was quite something. Really long. But I appreciate it.**

**Now for starters, it's not all good for Ash. I just made it that way in the start. It'll be different later.**

**You told about Legendary. Keep that thing away. No legendaries as of now. Don't think I'll corrupt things so easily.**

**Gary knows that Ash is smart but not about how good he is in battling. This is because Gary becomes headstrong after getting Squirtle and ignores Ash. Ash ignores Gary too. So Gary is unaware. I have made some remedies for it in this chapter.**

**Misty will keep trying for Ash and I'll think over something for that.**

**About the competition, read the previous chapters. It is only for the lowest class trainers. So those all-powerful guys cannot come. Then the lower class trainers generally lack abundant funds due to which, such trainers from faraway places cannot attend. So only a few people from nearby places would come.**

**And to make things weird, Ash will not get this rare egg. I had it already planned that way.**

**The moves Gyarados has like Dragon rage, Twister, Ice Fang, Aqua Tail, are all level-up moves. Thunderbolt is obvious. Pikachu taught it.**

**Brock is with them. So chill out.**

**RoyalTwinFangs:-I'll think about Abra. But no Elekid or Magby because a very major character i.e Gary will have both. He has both in the anime too.**

**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan:- Yeah love is cheesy.**

**I Love This:-I guess you didn't read things properly. I am writing this with Ash and others ageing. In the story, they are not reincarnations and stuff but very closely related.**

**Now to the chapter. Enjoy.**

CHAPTER EIGHT-THE STOLEN EGG, THE POKEMON G-MEN AND MT. MOON

"The third prize goes to a very promising youngster. He is the grandson of the inventor of Pokédex, Professor Samuel Oak and son of ex-Kanto Champion Blue Oak. This person's career has always been top notch with high scores in academics of Pokémon Evolution. He is also famed to attract ladies wherever he goes. Welcome, Gary Oak from Pallet Town.", the announcer paused momentarily before continuing, "He gets a full set of Poke Balls. Please give the rising star a big applause.", the announcer shouted into the microphone which was followed by wild cheers and claps from the audience.

Gary walked up to the podium smugly. The Mayor shook his hand with a warm smile, "Good job young man. I expect nothing less from you."

"Thank you Sir.", Gary bowed a bit and received a box that the Mayor handed over to him. Turning to the audience, he bowed low and then spoke, "Thank you everyone for the support. I'll ensure that I'm doing my best out there. And now Ash Ketchum, you showed me what I did wrong and I thank you for that.", he continued with a smirk, "We'll test again later and that time, this won't be so easy for you. Just like old times.", he finished with a wide grin."

Ash who was standing in the front row with head lowered and just eyes visible, raised his face and grinned. Then he started clapping which everyone followed.

Gary walked towards his rival transferring his prize to left hand and stood matching gazes. Then he held his clenched right fist forward, "Friends?"

"Always!", Ash grinned even more as he bumped the fist with his own.

The audience clapped at the two young men and then turned to the podium again.

"The second is a beautiful and talented young girl all the way from Celestic Town in the Sinnoh Region. Her grandmother Professor Carolina Adams, her father Steve Adams and her mother Sylvia Adams are all famed for their studies of Mythologies, History and Archeology. She herself follows the same path while also being an excellent trainer. She gets a Ground-type Pokémon egg and a set of Vitamins. Please give a big hand to Miss Cynthia Adams.", the announcer screamed.

Ash gulped as Cynthia walked gracefully to the podium and gave a very cute smile to the audience.

"Good job dear. Keep up the good work.", the Mayor congratulated the young girl as she received a box and a glass incubator with a strange egg. The egg was majorly pink with a bit of brown coloration at the base.

"Thank you everyone and Thank you, all my opponents for the wonderful experience. I assure you that I'll take care of this Pokémon and shall do my best.", Cynthia spoke to the audience and bowed slightly before walking down.

"Now for the dominating competitor of this year. The young battler who swept through the tournament in a breeze with amazing skills and raw power of his Pokémon. He's handsome, strong, and intelligent. His skills are far more than his age and looks. He also has a promising family background. His mother Delia runs a famed spa at Pallet Town and his father Silver is the ex-champion of Johto Region. Please welcome Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

The audience cheered wildly and the girls in the crowd drooled at the sight of the powerfully built youngster.

"Ash gets a full set of all Evolutionary Stones and a Rock-type Pokémon egg."

As Ash and Lucario walked up the podium, Pikachu's ears twitched. He rose from his perch on Lucario's shoulder and pointed at the place where the egg was kept.

A guy dressed in black was running away with the incubator holding a greenish gray egg.

**Thief**, Lucario roared as he started chasing the man followed by many people.

As Ash, Brock, Flint, and the fourth place winner Edward ran behind the man, they saw him entering the forest area. On following, they saw a small wooden cabin. It was very old and mostly damaged.

Just as Ash was about to dash into the cabin, they heard a voice, "Stop, Guardian!"

Ash froze and turned around to see an imposing man standing behind the group. The man seemed to be in his early twenties. He was wearing a full Aura Guardian costume and beside him stood a cream colored Pokémon who looked like its wearing a fighting dress. Its lithe body showed that it was made for speed.

'An Aura Guardian?!', Ash mused.

"You're not yet authorized. Allow me.", the man smirked and walked towards the cabin. Summoning a blue energy around his fist, the man cracked open the door with a swift jab.

**Wow! That was cool.**

'Of course it was! He is a guardian after all. But how did he know about me?'

The guardian walked inside and faced the thief, "Return your loot and I'll spare you.", he demanded.

The thief drew a knife, "You think you're cool if you wear strange dress and try to be intimidating?"

He called out a bipedal humanoid purple Pokémon with a belt on its waist.

The Pokémon, a Machoke immediately lunged at the Guardian. But to the Superpower Pokémon's surprise, the Mienshao who stood behind the guardian had leapt high and swiftly kicked it on the head. Within a second, it created a very powerful Aura Sphere and blasted it on the opponent's head.

The Machoke was knocked out cold and Ash calculated that it would take at least a month for the poor thing to recover.

The thief growled and swung his knife. The Aura Guardian crouched down and spun around extending his leg. The thief tripped and fell down due to the sweep but got up quickly. He kicked the Guardian hard who simply blocked the hit with his left arm and returned a kick to the thief's gut.

As the opponent coughed violently, the Aura Guardian leapt into the air. Pirouetting mid-air, the man kicked the thief with an aura-covered leg. The thief flew back and fell down unconscious, badly beaten and bleeding.

"Gilbert! How come you're here?", Edward the competitor looked at the Aura Guardian.

"You know him?", Ash looked at the young man.

"I'm his brother, young Guardian.", the Aura Guardian, now identified as Gilbert spoke, "And this is my chosen partner, Mienshao."

The Fighting-type gave a slight bow to Ash and Lucario who reciprocated the same and repeated it to Gilbert.

Flint and Brock were looking all over for the egg.

Flint released a dark blue quadruped Pokémon. It had a large mane, sharp fangs and a long tail that ended in a yellow star.

"Luxray, there is probably a stolen egg in here. Can you try to find it?", Flint knelt near the Pokémon and requested.

With a deep growl, Luxray started looking around with its sharp eyes.

**What's the point Master?**

'It is said that Luxray can see through things.'

**I see. This one looks really powerful**

'Yeah. Way beyond our league.'

Suddenly Luxray walked towards a tile and tapped on it.

Brock had his Scizor out who slowly clicked on the tile and started picking it up. Everyone in the room came towards the tile.

Scizor held the tile in his pincers and pulled it upwards. All the occupants of the room gasped at the sight. There was a large incubator with a big egg. It was grey in color and larger than the one lost.

"This isn't the one that was stolen.", Brock cried.

The thief who had regained consciousness by now smirked weakly, "Its gone losers. My friend took it away. He must be a long way from here now."

"Now what do we do? The egg decided as prize is gone.", Flint grimaced.

"Hmm…This must be stolen too. Why don't we give this egg to Ash?", Gilbert smiled, "You don't mind right?"

"Huh? Well I don't mind. Something is better than nothing.", Ash smiled.

Gilbert picked up the incubator with some difficulty and handed it over to Ash, "Congratulations!"

"Thanks…Ugh…This is heavy.", Ash groaned.

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Officer Jenny arrested the thief and was taking him to the Police Station.

"This was a serious case of Pokémon Theft. Why was the Police informed so late?", the officer was quite furious.

"That's because I apprehended the thief.", Gilbert and Mienshao stepped forward.

"Who do you think you are? Civilians should report to the cops and then just leave. Not interfere everywhere.", Jenny snorted.

With a sigh, Gilbert pulled out a small Identity Card and held it out to the Officer, "Aura Guardian and Elite Member of Pokémon G-Men. Any more questions?"

The Officer visibly paled at this and quickly stood in attention saluting the Guardian, "I apologize Sir! Please forgive me."

Ash and his friends stood gob smacked at the scene unfolding in front of them.

'Wow! Aura Guardians are respected so much?', Ash awed.

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"You said something about being authorized.", Ash looked at the elder guardian.

"Yeah. You need to be authorized and introduced into Pokémon G-Men.", Gilbert nodded.

"G-Men?", Ash asked confused.

"It's a very Elite Crime-Fighter Group consisted of the strongest Gym Leaders, Ace Trainers, Elite Four and Champions of different regions, Frontier Brains, Pokémon Researchers, Pokémon Rangers and finally Aura Guardians."

"Wow. Sounds pretty tough.", Ash spoke with wide eyes.

"Its tough to gain entry. Aura Guardians are the only type of people who can be allowed without much of other merits.", Gilbert smirked proudly, "But unfortunately there are not many Aura users."

**I wanna join. This will be cool.**

"So how do you think I can gain entry?"

"Once you complete the Kanto Gym Circuit and gain the eight major badges or more than ten badges in case of minor Gyms, you can be classified as B or B+ Class trainer. Then you can enter but you must master your Aura by then. Sooner the better.", Gilbert lectured.

"Are there any ex-champions in the G-Men?"

Gilbert laughed at Ash's curiosity, "Yes of course and I know where you got that doubt. Yes, your father Silver is an Elite Member like me."

"How did you become an Elite?", Ash frowned.

"I have defeated the Unova Elite Four but couldn't beat Alder, the Champion. I've also bested Wallace and Steven in a two-on-two double battle.", Gilbert spoke with his chest puffed up, "I've battled Silver once. To say that he defeated me would be an understatement.", he sighed.

Ash and Lucario gazed each other's saucer-sized eyes and gulped.

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"Ash, you were awesome out there.", Misty jumped into a hug and crushed Ash tightly.

**Huh?!**

Pikachu and Gary sweat dropped at this.

Ash smiled awkwardly and pulled back, "Yeah thanks Misty."

Misty smirked at Cynthia who stood behind Ash. The blonde-haired girl chuckled lightly and walked towards Ash.

"Well Ash, it was really nice to meet you. I hope we can meet again.", Cynthia smiled as she and Ash shook hands.

Ash nodded, "Yeah. I do wish the same."

"I'll be going to Vermillion now. Through the Diglett Cave.", she smiled.

"I'll reach there after crossing Cerulean.", Ash spoke slowly.

"Ketchum!", Gary's sharp voice resounded.

"Huh?!"

"Leave her hand so that she can go.", the young Oak teased.

Ash and Cynthia blushed furiously and pulled their hands back. But suddenly Cynthia leaned in and pecked Ash's cheek, "Thanks for everything.", and then ran off towards Diglett Cave at the southern end of the City.

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"I'll be waiting for our next battle.", Gary smirked, "See ya later Ashy-boy."

"I'll be looking forward to it Gary-Mary.", Ash snickered.

Gary, who was walking away smugly, face faulted and Lucario rolled his eyes.

Brock walked from behind Ash and Misty with a backpack and a belt with Poke Balls, "Lets go!"

"Hmmm…At last, first tournament win and solid prizes. And now journey continues.", Ash smiled.

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Ash, Misty and Brock had been travelling towards the Mount Moon since a day and at last were standing at the foot of the mountain.

"Wow. This is huge!", Ash exclaimed enthusiastically. He was holding the egg incubator with both his hands while Lucario carried Pikachu.

"I always come here in the Excavation Team of the Pewter City Museum. There are a lot of different Pokémon living here.", Brock added.

"I don't think any Water-type lives here.", Misty snorted lazily.

"HELP!", someone's voice echoed.

"Come on guys.", Ash sprinted towards the cave entrance followed closely by his friends and Pokémon.

A huge flock of purple-colored bat Pokémon were attacking a man wearing white lab coat.

"Thunderbolt. Bring them all down.", Ash snarled.

Pi…ka…CHUUU….

The Electric-type move engulfed the swarm and most of them fell down defeated while the remaining fled deciding not to face the powerful adversaries.

Brock quickly pulled out a Poke ball and captured one of the bat Pokémon.

"A Poison type will be a very good addition."

Ash scanned the Pokémon using his Pokédex.

_ZUBAT_

_The Bat Pokémon. It has no eyes so it uses ultrasonic waves for determining directions. It also has keen sense of hearing and smelling._

_Level:-15_

_Gender:-Male_

_Ability:- Inner Focus_

_Moves:- N/A_

"Hey, this one knows Brave Bird.", Brock commented.

"That's cool. You can help me teach Staravia.", Ash smiled.

The man attacked by Zubat rushed at Ash and grabbed his arms, "Thankyou thankyou thankyou that has to be the coolest save I have ever had. No one ever saved my butt in such an awesome manner. Really your style is perfect, absolutely fantabulous and classy."

"Uhh…", Ash rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't be embarrassed. That was really awesome. I can assure that you are one of the best. A hundred thousand thumbs up.", the man continued only to be shocked by Pikachu.

Misty and Brock sweat dropped at the man.

"Who are you by the way Mister?", Ash enquired.

"What? You called me Mister? That's not correct. Never call me Mister! Call me Seymour. I'm Seymour the Scientist. Knowledge, Wisdom, Seymour!", the man ranted.

**This is going to be a long trip.**, Lucario sighed.

"Now then Seymour, can you tell us why the Zubat attacked you?", Brock spoke.

"Ahh! I'm glad you asked. Come, I'll show you.", Seymour led the trio plus the two Pokémon into the cave.

There were many Pokémon all over. Some Zubat were fluttering restlessly while a few Mushroom Pokémon were dried up alongside a few shrews.

"These Pokémon need dampness. The caves provide dampness and avoid them getting wet. But someone has installed lights along the cave walls. This is troubling these Pokémon.", Seymour explained.

Ash noticed two different kinds of shrews. He kept the incubator on the ground safely and scanned scanned them.

_ SANDSHREW_

_The Mouse Pokémon. It burrows holes expertly and is known to roll away from danger by curling into a tight ball._

_Level:-15_

_Gender:-Female_

_Ability:-Sand Veil_

_Moves:-N/A_

Sandshrew's body was mostly covered in a dry tough hide of sand's color. It had sharp claws, two on each foot and three on paws. It was whimpering and shivering.

The other shrew was completely different. It was noticeably smaller than Sandshrew and had weird looks. It looked more like a mole. It had black body with gray-blue streaks, a white snout with pink nose, and white claws that resembled shovels. The claws had three separate sections. Its eyes adorned very small black irises. Its small feet had three toes each.

_DRILBUR_

_The Mole Pokémon. It is known to dig through ground at high speeds. While naturally timid, it can also attack ruthlessly when in danger._

_Level:-18_

_Gender:-Male_

_Ability:-Sand Rush_

_Moves:-N/A_

Brock was trying to get the Pokémon drink some water.

"A Unova native Pokémon? That's strange here.", Ash frowned and quickly commanded to his Pokédex, "Make a call to Professor Oak."

After a few rings, Ash saw the old Professor's smiling face, "Hello Ash. How can I help you? Anything with the egg?"

"Hello Professor. It's not about the egg. Nurse Joy had informed me that it'll take a few weeks for it to hatch. This is about a Unova native Pokémon in Kanto.", Ash responded.

"Unova native? Is it Drilbur or Bouffalant?", the Professor squinted.

"Drilbur. I found one in Mt. Moon. But how did you know?"

"Its part of that 'Reserve, Preserve and Distribute Scheme' by the League. It distributed Drilbur and Bouffalant in areas of Tauros and vice versa.", the researcher explained.

"Alright. I guess I'll capture it. Thanks Professor. Bye.", Ash smiled and hung up.

Pulling out a Poke ball, Ash looked at the Pokémon. On receiving the faintest nod, he touched it on the Drilbur who was instantly sucked into the ball and the capture was confirmed without any doubt.

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"If my doubts are true, then the people who set up these lights are after the Moon Stone.", Seymour sighed.

"Moon Stone as in the evolutionary stone you say?", Misty enquired.

Seymour frowned at this remark, "Not just that young lady. It's a massive boulder believed to be millions of years old. The ones that evolve Pokémon are fragments of the core. Some people believe that the Moon Stone came from the space with some Pokémon riding it."

"That's an interesting theory. I have read about how different Pokémon were given habitats on and out of the Earth. May be a few space-dwelling Pokémon migrated to the Earth.", Ash smirked.

Suddenly, a light pink Pokémon bounced past the group. It held a small gray stone in its hands.

"Wow. A Clefairy.", Ash exclaimed while drawing a Poke Ball from his belt.

"No!", Seymour held Ash's arm, "I don't want you to do that. Let it stay here peacefully.", Seymour pleaded.

Ash sighed and nodded deciding that its better not capturing a Pokémon than hearing Seymour's whining.

"Don't yous be afraid. Just hand ova da stone and we are cool. I won't be hurting ya. Come to Meowth.", a strange nasal voice was heard followed by a loud cry.

As Ash and company rushed to the source of the sound, they say the Clefairy from earlier shivering in fright and Meowth standing in front of it.

"You! What the hell are you doing here?", Ash growled.

Suddenly a Koffing appeared and started emitting smoke.

"Staravia, Whirlwind.", Ash growled releasing his Flying type. Brock followed suit and released his Zubat.

As the two Flying types cleared the smoke, two humans and were revealed.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Idiots! You are the ones that set up those lights?", Misty yelled.

"Of course twoipette. Now we need the Moon Stone.", Jessie exclaimed.

James hurled a Poke Ball and out came a quadruped orange Pokémon. It was a canine and had a creamy tail. It barked loudly and stood defensively. A Growlithe.

"Use Flamethrower Growlie.", James smirked.

"Onix, Stone Edge.", Brock shouted.

From under the ground, a huge Rock Snake jumped out. Its body gave a slight glow and sharp stones collided with the flames.

"Ash, Misty, take Clefairy away. I'll hold back these losers.", Brock smiled confidently.

Ash, Misty and Clefairy ran through a forking path followed by Pikachu and Lucario and reached an open cavern. They saw a huge stone lying in the middle basking in the moonlight.

Clefairy started shouting at the different paths in the small cavern.

"Whats it doing?", Misty whispered.

"No idea.", Ash whispered back.

Meanwhile Brock's Onix was holding back the opponents.

"Ekans, Dig.", Jessie shouted.

"Growlie, Follow Ekans." James kept up a confident smirk.

"Losers", Brock spat, "Onix, Earthquake. Then Double Edge on that Koffing."

Onix slammed its tail on the ground making the two underground Pokémon to come up bruised and beaten. Then glowing a bit, Onix rammed into Koffing who was knocked out in one second.

"Finish that Growlithe with a last Stone Edge.", Brock smirked as he finished up.

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Seymour and Brock came into the cavern, panting. Brock raised thumbs up, "Onix managed them with little trouble. Jessie and James huh? They had an Ekans, a Koffing and surprisingly, that powerful Growlithe. Must have stolen it too."

"I don't think so Brock. No one will ever give a nickname to a stolen Pokémon.", Ash pointed out.

"Aren't we missing something?", Misty questioned.

"Of course. You twoips missed Meowth.", the cat Pokémon smirked, "Pay Day.", the small appendage on Meowth's head glowed and a handful of coins flew at the group.

An Aura Sphere from Lucario stopped the attack and a Thunderbolt from Pikachu was enough to blast him off.

By this time, Clefairy had kept the small stone in a ring below the larger stone completing a circuit.

The large core and the smaller stones started glowing. Many Clefairy poured out of different paths and started dancing around the stones.

"Wow! Its beautiful.", Misty squealed.

**They're praying to the Moon Stone.**

"Lucario says they are praying. May be the Moon Stone really came from the space.", Ash smiled.

"I never thought this would ever happen to me. I always wanted to see this.", Seymour shed anime-tears while the others sweat dropped.

Suddenly smoke started to appear again causing everyone to cough. When the smoke clears, the stone is gone.

Brock called out his Onix again, "Find the Moon Stone. Those idiots stole it and are taking it away. Find them now."

As the group came out of the cave, they saw Team Rocket standing on the huge Moon Stone core. The gang faced them from one side and at the other end, Onix emerged.

But without warning, Clefairy started to line in front of the trio. The large number of Pokémon waved their hands in a rhythm.

"Its Metronome!", Seymour gasped.

A huge explosion happens and the Team Rocket trio blast off. The core Moon Stone is trapped in the explosion and broke into fine pieces.

As the fragments touched some Clefairy, they slowly evolved into Clefable.

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."Are you not coming?", Misty enquired.

"No dear. I'll spend my rest time here with these little adorable Pokemon and their Moon Stones.", Seymour smiled at the youngsters, "Thank you all for the help."

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Ash and friends reach the cave's other end where it meets the outskirts of Cerulean City.

"Ahh finally, daylight.", Ash stretched his arms as Lucario held the egg incubator.

"At last!", Brock exclaimed.

"Cascade Badge, here I come!", Ash pumped his fist.

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**That's it for the eighth chapter. Read and Review guys. See ya.**

**Now for a small quiz:**

**1-Which Pokémon has the strongest 'Outrage' in the whole game? (As of Pokémon Black2/White2)**

**2-Atleast three Pokémon that can use the two infamous combos of Bolt-Beam and Edge-Quake?**

**3-One evolutionary line which has the baby as Physical based and evolved form as Special based.**

**4-Guess the Pokémon that will hatch from Cynthia's egg in the story.**

**I shall post the answers with the next chapter except for the last answer. That one will be revealed later. And I'll think about more of such fun things to be included with updates.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello friends. I've been taking more time than before to update. That is because I'm in the last year of my graduation and I need to focus on studies a lot. But I'm giving time to this story daily as an entertainment.**

**Now to answering reviews.**

**RoyalTwinFangs:- Hard to read? Can you please elaborate?**

**LightRayPearlshipper:-Your answer is correct but the highest Physical Attack stat is boasted by Deoxys-A with 180 Base Attack.**

**coolhunter:-You'll know about the contents later on.**

**The Unknown ShiniGami:-You are right.**

**CDOwen:-Your first answer is correct. But second is not because Regirock, Gallade and Giratina don't learn Ice Beam.**

**Third answer is partly correct. Trapinch is not correct answer.**

**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan:-I always loved those pups. They are awesome and since James had him as pet, I thought of including him. It would at least make the idiots stronger.**

**L 2 the Y:-Black Kyurem is correct. Dragonite is correct. But Zekrom and Stunfisk are not because they both don't learn Ice Beam. Riolu and Lucario are partly correct.**

**dylan 101:-Zweilous is not correct. Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Rhyhorn are all correct. The third answer is partly correct. Phanpy is not correct answer.**

**TheBjizzle:-Well the problem is that I lack much time. I get very small amount of time for this story so the other one will be updated later.**

**Now, to the answers of the quiz:**

**First question was, 'Which Pokémon has the strongest Outrage in the whole game?'.**

**The answer as many of you told correctly is Kyurem-B or Black Kyurem.**

**Second question was to mention three Pokemon that can learn both the Bolt-Beam (Thunderbolt + Ice Beam) and Edge-Quake (Stone Edge + Earthquake) combos.**

**In fact, there are many Pokemon out there with Mew, Rayquaza, Dragonite, Tyranitar etc being the major ones.**

**Third question was to mention at least one evolutionary line which has baby as physical based and evolved form as special based. There are two main answers to it.**

**Riolu and Lucario can be considered but it is not a solid answer because even Lucario is famed for its physical prowess. A perfect answer is Larvesta and Volcarona. Larvesta is a complete Physical attacker while Volcarona is a Specially based beast.**

**The answer for the fourth question regarding Cynthia's egg will be revealed later on.**

**Now let's move to the next chapter. Enjoy. **

CHAPTER NINE-AN UNKNOWN THEORY AND THE CASCADE BADGE

"Do we really have to go there?", Misty asked tautly at Ash. She was acting very outlandish.

"Of course we need to. The next Gym is at Cerulean and I need the Cascade Badge from there.", Ash elucidated steadfastly.

"Why can't we go to Vermillion which is a port city and is very beautiful?"

"Huh? Why not Cerulean?", Brock frowned.

"Um well, I have heard that the Pokémon Cerulean City has are all nasty, creepy and scary ghosts.", Misty tried to emphasize her point by making eccentric faces which got her a completely unexpected reaction.

Lucario and Pikachu started guffawing loudly and Ash and Brock blinked at the girl.

Then Ash smirked and chuckled, "Nice try but we aren't falling for that. Now today it's pretty late. It'll take us another two hours to reach the city. So I'll just challenge the Gym tomorrow."

Concluding his clarification, Ash started ambling at the forefront closely pursued by his Pokémon and the squint-eyed Gym Leader.

"Why me always?", Misty grumbled in a low voice and grudgingly followed the group.

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"Nurse Joy, can you please check this egg for me? And I also need an overall check-up report of my Pokémon.", Ash smiled to the pink-haired nurse as he handed over his incubator.

"Ohh sure young man. You can have the egg and the reports in the morning. As we work overnight and night times have fewer trainers, we can finish the job soon." Joy smiled and took the egg incubator from Ash.

Chansey, the egg Pokémon that worked at the Pokémon Centers tottered up to Ash with a small tray and raised it to him. Ash put his Poke balls in the tray and pats the Normal type with a smile.

The happy Pokémon smiled kindly at the trainer and toddled away followed by Pikachu. Lucario had decided to stay in the ball for the night.

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Ash was up early in the morning and was jogging around the small practice area behind the Pokémon Centre. He had all his Pokémon except his new Drilbur out and near him. The incubator was also kept near his Pokémon following his father's advice. The ex-champion had explicated that the presence of healthy Pokémon can boost an egg's growth and that the hatchling will be affected by their powers.

Butterfree and Starly were flying around while Lucario and Pikachu sprinted with Ash. Gyarados was floating a few feet above the ground and moving here and there slowly. The Water type was not much of a social Pokémon. Although he never showed any anger towards anyone, Gyarados maintained a distance from others unless they were training.

After a while of his daily workout, Ash sat down for a drink and called out his newest Pokémon. The Mole Pokémon appeared and looked at his trainer in confusion.

Ash smiled at the small Pokémon and extended his hand. The little Ground type shivered in fear and tried backing off.

"Drilbur. I'm Ash Ketchum. I caught you at the Mt. Moon. Do you think we can be friends?", the aspiring Pokémon Master smiled and tried to be as gentle as possible.

'Pi-kaaa', Ash's sole Electric Type squealed and waved at the new team member from behind Ash.

**He seems to be afraid.**, Lucario was meditating at the far corner of the area. He opened his eyes and thought to his master.

'Afraid?'

**May be some past experience.**, the Aura Pokémon shrugged.

Drilbur walked forward cautiously and placed his right claws on Ash's open palm and then looked at his eyes.

What he saw surprised the little Ground type. The human didn't seem to have any evil intention and was smiling warmly. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown and held only love and compassion. But the next thing rendered it speechless.

Ash's eyes glittered a light blue for a moment and Drilbur saw the turbulent fortitude and ardor in them.

Ash chortled at the snooping and diffident Ground type and pats his head lightly earning a very faint gurgle of exhilaration.

Ash took the report he had got prepared from the Nurse Joy and started reading its summarized part.

_All the Pokémon are in good physical shape and well fed. Lucario and Pikachu have well treated fur while Starly needs more of her natural food like bugs._

_Gyarados must be allowed to spend time in waters once in a while. Butterfree is at the best condition possible. Drilbur needs sand and dry climate. His claws need to be sharpened and heat must be provided._

_The scrutinized egg is supposed to contain a Rock-type. It needs warmth from the trainer and also emissions from strong Pokémon. Water must be kept away from it. Polishing it with dry sand will increase the amount of warmth it can absorb. It has to be exposed to sunlight mandatorily. After hatching, the Pokémon must not battle for at least a week. Its food must not contain high amount of water._

Ash smiled as he folded the report before keeping it in his backpack securely.

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On arrival at the centre, Ash noticed that Misty had all of a sudden receded from the Pokémon Centre in the morning leaving behind a note that she will be back later.

After a shower and change into a pair of new clothes, he walked down to the cafeteria for a bite. Handing over his Pokémon their food, Ash swiftly grabbed some slices of sandwich and started eating slowly.

'Which one of you wants to battle today?'

**Butterfree was eager for a Gym battle. I guess using him would be a good idea.**

'Pika-Pikapi pikaaa pii pika.'

**He says he wants to join.**

"Ok but only if I feel the Gym Leader's Pokémon to be a real threat.", Ash smirked.

This was met with a nod from the Electric type.

"Also if the battle turns out to be too tough, we have you to back up.", Ash smirked at his partner.

**I guess Pikachu can handle almost anything at the Gym. He's at pretty high level.**

"Exactly. Butterfree is very resourceful and you two have the power and are both high leveled.", Ash smiled proudly.

Ash and his Pokémon turned around when they heard someone clearing throat.

The aspiring Master caught sight of a lady in her mid-thirties standing behind them. She had a striking resemblance to the Nurse Joy with pink hairs and mind-blowing beauty. She wore a light pink dress which seemed to enhance her charm. Her pink hairs were clipped behind with a blue hair clip.

Ash could feel some sort of strange supremacy in the woman. Lucario bent his head a bit unable to contain the dominating energy while Pikachu hid behind Ash's legs.

"I guess you are Ash Ketchum?", the woman's sweet voice rang.

Nodding nervously, Ash spoke, "Yes, how can I help you ma'am?"

"My name or what I want isn't important as of now. Just know that I'm a friend. I was just passing by when I heard this little guy speaking.", the lady giggled and pointed at Lucario.

The Aura Pokémon reallocated uneasily as the lady looked at him. His Aura training let him perceive an inhuman presence in the woman. But he could not stand against it or oppose it. It was far more strong than he could imagine and yet very gentle.

"You heard Lucario?!", Ash got flustered. This was really daunting. No one had ever claimed this. Only he was connected to his friend, "How?"

The lady gave a spine-chilling smile and nodded slowly, "You'll know later. But for now, I came to give a small advice to you."

"Advice? What kind of advice and regarding what? Am I doing something wrong?", Ash tried his best to be polite. He didn't want her to be angry at him. Even though his abilities were limited, he could make out that the lady was stronger because he could not read her Aura when he tried it.

"No dear. Till now everything is very good. But…", she paused and then narrowed her eyes, "You should learn some things today or things will turn bad for you."

Ash could not empathize what the lady meant but she was pretty solemn. He nodded slowly.

Taking it as her cue to speak, the woman started, "First of all, you need to change your misconception that levels are a measure of strength."

"They're not?!"

"Absolutely not. The levels of Pokémon gauged by humans are just the sign of their growth and not strength. But it is true that most of the higher level Pokémon will be stronger than lower level ones. Most humans unfortunately are ignorant of this speculation. So it is an unknown theory."

"Then how do you say that it doesn't measure strength?", Ash cocked his head in mystification.

"You know what, two same level Pokémon can be drastically different in strength. What counts is something you get from training, battling others, observing, knowledge, imitating, innovating and at last practicing.", the lady spoke firmly.

Ash processed the lady's words in his mind. It was a huge shock for him as he had never understood it and he could not find it in any book he read.

**I never thought of it that way. And we never understood it. Even the professor told about strength as something which we must figure out ourselves.**

"He was right, wasn't he?", the woman smiled softly and then looked at her audience with an expression which Ash thought was a mix of affection, happiness, kindness and faint hint of respect, "Do you know what it is called when all these things come together?"

'Experience!', Ash awed as he connected the dots and got the uncomplicated yet focal answer.

"Absolutely spot on! This is something you can never gain just from books and training. Your Pokémon are healthy and have grown much but they are not extraordinary skilled. While erudition and run through are imperative, experiences are what take them to higher stratum. How else do you think legendaries are so strong?", the lady's eyes seemed to get a very serene look.

"You were marked for a task. You were Chosen and empowered for it. But you must learn and augment to become your destined self. You'll be helped and guided by many but you still need to grow on your own. Comprehend that the world that will come from here onwards won't be as sympathetic and forgiving as you have witnessed till now."

'Marked? Empowered? Why is this lady being so vague?'

"You'll know all that when the time comes. But know this. You have a long way to go before you become the best. Many are out there who are as passionate as you and even stronger than you. I can show you a sample of what real power is.", the woman smirked and snapped her fingers.

The next instant, Ash saw himself floating in a dark alleyway. He guessed it was something like his old vision with Lucario. A bright light surrounded the vicinity and he saw an orange beam of destructive energy sailing past him. He was sure that the Hyper Beam, as he recognized it, could easily rip apart a large area or a very huge number of strong Pokémon.

But what he saw next invoked fear inside him. Some Pokémon stood in the path of the attack. Ash could only see three strange fingers. As the three fingers faced the attack, the powerful influential beam stopped mid-air. Suddenly the three odd digits were clenched into a fist and the strong attack simply ceased to exist.

The world shook and Ash saw himself once again with his friends and the mysterious lady.

"So? How was that vision?", the lady questioned warily.

"I.. I don't know. That was… that was intense…So powerful..", Ash stammered weakly.

"You'll see it again. In reality. What you saw is a part of your future. Get ready because you need to clash. You must steer against the evils from the front. Wish you good luck Ash.", the lady smiled considerately and then vanished in a burst of pink light.

Ash shook his head, 'Teleportation. Flaunt!'

**Wow! Creepy. Who was she anyway? Such force was emanating from her.**

'I know. I could not read her Aura. It was too formidable. Let's see if anyone else knows.'

Suddenly Ash felt something enter his mind. He held his head on feeling a strange sensation in his head. Ash heard the clandestine lady's authoritative voice.

I FORGOT TO SAY THIS, DON'T YOU MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT ME TO ANYONE.

Ash fell to his knees clutching his head hard., "Ahh! Damn Psychics! Such potential. I have never felt something like that. Even Ho-Oh didn't have such an Aura or authoritative force. Who the hell was she?"

**Certainly not a human,** Lucario grunted slowly while Pikachu was shivering in fright.

'And Arceus knows what all she was saying. Marked for a task. Empowered. I must lead. What does this all mean?'

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Ash walked out of the centre with Pikachu in his arms and saw that Brock was waiting near the door, "Hey Ash. Good morning."

Ash had left the incubator with Nurse Joy for safe custody. He had also left behind his backpack in his room.

"Morning Brock.", Ash smiled back.

The two friends slowly walked towards where they supposed the Gym was and saw a crowd near a small building.

"Excuse me Sir, may I know what's all the commotion about?", Ash asked an old man politely.

The man snorted, "It seems there was a theft kid. They stole a dumb vacuum and some hose."

"Huh? No valuables stolen?", Brock frowned.

It was then that an officer walked up to them. She looked at the two suspiciously, "May I know why you are asking so many questions?"

"Officer Jenny!", Ash exclaimed.

"Do I know you?", she snapped.

"We have met at Pewter City. After that tournament.", Ash tried reminding her.

"That is my cousin. But if you have met her, then it means you have had some business with cops before. You both are already suspicious. As they say, a criminal always returns to the crime scene.", the officer seemed to be trying to make them the culprits.

Ash rolled his eyes, "Are you trying to say that a criminal would opt getting caught than reaching far away from the crime scene? If only all of the criminals were so stupid."

The officer sweat dropped at this.

"I can believe you if you show me some identification.", she spoke embarrassed on being criticized by a young boy.

Ash simply flipped open his Pokédex and showed his trainer profile to the officer. Brock pulled out a small stony badge and raised it, "I'm a licensed Gym Leader of Pewter City. Name's Brock Slate."

"That's enough. And I'm sorry for earlier.", the Jenny rubbed her head.

"You can compensate for it by coming with me to dinner. We can travel in the golden chariot of love to the high skies of romance.", Brock knelt in front of the officer and ranted while holding her palm.

A Poke ball on Ash's waist glowed and Lucario appeared. He swiftly dragged the Gym Leader away from the Officer Jenny yanking at his ear.

"I'm sorry about my friend.", Ash apologized.

"It's alright. I've seen worse.", the Officer waved her hand, "Now move it everyone. Get to your works."

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Ash stood in front of the building he supposed was the Cerulan Gym. It looked more like a circus tent with a huge Dewgong cut-out on the front.

Brock had left him saying he had some 'stuffs' to take care of.

"Ready?", Ash smiled at Pikachu who gave a grin and a nod as response.

As Ash walked into the Gym, he heard water splashing and voices of girls laughing and giggling.

He walked forward and reached a huge pool. It was filled with water and had a few platforms scattered on them. There were two boxes for trainers.

Ash saw three girls playing in the pool with some Pokémon. The three looked exactly the same except for the color of their hairs and their slight yet evident age differences.

The eldest one had blonde hairs while the second had indigo and the youngest sported pink locks. The three girls spotted Ash staring at them and widened their eyes at the boy's handsome features.

The three squealed and quickly exited the pool.

"Hi there handsome. Like, who are you?", the second girl with Indigo hairs asked.

Ash blushed a bit at the three beautiful girls' appearance in bikinis but then straightened, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader for a Cascade Badge."

"Well well that's cool.", the eldest girl smirked, "We are the Gym Leaders here. The Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City. I'm Daisy, the eldest."

"I'm Violet, the second.", the indigo haired girl supplied.

"Aaand I'm Lily. The youngest of the three.", the pink haired girl chimed in.

"But we can't give you a battle. Sorry.", Daisy bit her lip.

"What? Why can't you?", Ash demanded fiercely. Pikachu was already emitting sparks.

"We don't feel like battling now.", Lily spoke slowly.

"You see, like we had like a lot of challengers today and we can't like battle because our Pokémon are all tired.", Violet spoke in a very irritating manner.

Ash grimaced at her overuse of 'like'.

"Oh Seel!", Daisy clapped and called out towards the pool.

A white sea-lion emerged from the water. It extended its tongue letting Daisy pick up a diminutive item from it. She held it out to Ash and he gasped at the sight.

The article was a very small blue tear shaped badge-the Cascade Badge.

"Take it. How about staying here after this and we all can have some fun.", Daisy walked towards him wiggling her hips seductively.

"No.", Ash spoke in a very stern voice, "I'd rather earn my badges."

"Oh come on. Like, just take it.", Violet winked at the youngster encouragingly.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Ash cringed as he heard the proverbial yell. As he turned around, he saw the slightly annoying yet good-hearted red-head walking towards them, with pure ire in her eyes.

"Misty? What are you doing here?", Ash was surprised by his friend's sudden appearance.

"Yeah like, Misty did you like, become the greatest Water Pokémon Master?", Violet smirked.

"Umm no", Misty spoke embarrassed, "but that's not the concern now. I went away for a while and you guys are giving away the badges again? Then I shall battle him."

"You? Why would you battle me?", Ash frowned.

"I'm one of the Gym Leaders here. I'm the fourth Sensational Sister.", the young girl spoke firmly.

Lily suddenly butted in, "There are only three Sensational Sisters and one runt."

This caused the already fuming girl to explode furiously, "SHUT UP YOU IDIOTS!"

"No need to yell Misty. We are like, superior to you in everything. Beauty, battling, guys, romance and all. You just be the runt. Don't bother much to try and grow up.", Violet snarled.

Misty stopped suddenly. Her eyes filled with tears. The girl promptly turned away and ran out of the Gym.

Now this was uncalled for. Ash was angry. While he was not exactly fond of Misty, he still considered her a friend now. And he would never forgive anyone hurting his friends. Ash turned at the three girls.

"You three asked for it. I'll come in the evening. Be ready because I won't hold back. No one hurts my friends and gets away with that." Ash growled like an incensed Luxray. His eyes gave a glow for a second making the girls shiver. With that, Ash turned and walked away.

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Brock could easily sense the younger boy's emotion. The Gym Leader walked up to Ash with concern, "Ash, what happened? Why are you so disturbed?"

Ash explained the whole skirmish at the Cerulean Gym.

"Damn! That was outright ruthless. How can they be so cold to her? And where is Misty now?", Brock was worried about the girl as they spoke.

"To be honest, I have no idea. Can you please search for her? I want to have a talk with my team. I'm going to do some minor changes in strategy now. I really want to teach those girls some manners.", Ash requested his friend who agreed and walked away releasing his new Zubat.

Ash released his trusted Pokémon who all appeared and recoiled on sensing Ash's flaring Aura.

**Master? What happened to you?**

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Ash was in front of the Gym. He was done with his new strategy. His Pokémon had agreed to his emotions. Surprisingly Lucario who always seemed to be irritated with Misty had shown a very different reaction. He sternly lectured the team that they have to absolutely destroy the Gym Leaders.

Ash was surprised at this because Lucario was always calm about battles and never let emotions take over.

They decided that Butterfree and Pikachu would battle just like thought before and Lucario as a backup.

As he walked in, Ash saw Brock and Misty sitting in the audience. Misty's eyes were puffed due to tears and she looked tired.

He simply walked into his trainer box followed by Pikachu. Lucario was still unknown to the three girls.

"Alright. This is a Gym Battle between Violet Waterflower of Cerulean Gym and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town for the Cascade badge. This will be a three-on-three battle with only challenger allowed substitutions.", Daisy called from the sidelines.

Violet stood at the other end of the pool and swiftly called out a Marshtomp.

Marshtomp was bipedal with primarily blue body with a lighter shade of blue for its underside and an orange belly. Its head had an angular black fin, orange eyes and orange gills on the ends of both cheeks. It had long arms with three fingered hands. It also possessed three small toes on its legs and two black fins for tails.

Ash simply hurled his Poke ball and Butterfree appeared. The Bug type gave a low screech and locked its eyes on the opponent.

"Ice Beam Marshtomp. Knock it down.", Violet smirked.

"Iron Defense. Then Confusion to send it back."

Butterfree glowed clenching his body. Then his eyes started glowing light pink. He stopped the freezing beam of frost and then swiftly bent it to fire it back.

"Now knock him off with Gust. Then use Sleep Powder.", Ash growled. He could notice that the Marshtomp was trained mainly for elegance instead of power.

With a flap of wings, a small wind raced at the Water type. Marshtomp stumbled and promptly fell asleep on smelling a green powder sprinkled by Butterfree.

Ash immediately recalled Butterfree with a few words of gratitude and then nodded at Pikachu.

Just as Pikachu entered the field, Ash growled, "ExtremeSpeed into Iron Tail. Hit below his fin."

The poor Ground type flew out of the field and impacted on the wall behind. It was stuck in the wall due to the force of the attack amplified by the ExtremeSpeed.

"Marshtomp is unable to continue. Call out your next Pokémon.", Daisy announced terrified at the brute violence the small Pikachu had just displayed. The cute little fur ball had knocked out its opponent with a 4x resisted attack in just one move. She realized that it was definitely a repayment for their behavior towards Misty.

The only thing Violet knew was that Marshtomp sailed past her and slammed really hard into the wall behind instantly knocked out and in critical condition.

She recalled Marshtomp in incredulity and then decided to take it up a notch. Her next Pokémon was a cross between a bipedal orange weasel and an otter. It possessed a collar around its neck which it inflated and deflated slowly. It also had two blue fins on its arms and two tails which resembled the fins of fish. There were parallel marks on its cheeks and a small cream spot above each eye.

"Buizel!", the Pokémon exclaimed at Pikachu.

"Buizel, Aqua Jet into Ice Punch.", Violet cried.

The otter flew towards Pikachu covered in water. It reared its frost covered fist and swung at the Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu cried out loud on the impact and growled angrily releasing a small Thunderbolt in the process.

"Thunderwave."

A blue spark of lightning shot out Pikachu's cheeks and covered Buizel just at the moment it hit Pikachu.

Ash snapped his fingers sharply and Pikachu returned to his spot on Ash's shoulder. Instantly Ash released Butterfree.

"Gust."

"Counter with Sonicboom."

Butterfree's powerful wind based attack was stopped by a shock wave released from Buizel's tails.

"Try Ice Punch.", Violet knew that being paralyzed would save Buizel from other status. So she didn't worry getting Buizel near Butterfree.

"Perfect. Trap him with Electro Web. Let's see how it stays so fast now.", Ash smirked.

Butterfree gave a loud screech and opened his mouth. Glowing yellow strings blew from him and trapped the Water type in a trap.

"Buii…", the poor weasel cried out in distress. It could not move a bit as any movement caused the web to zap it.

"Buizel no!", Violet grew worried.

Lily and Daisy were equally afraid now. Ash was showing great skills and was being outright ruthless. The way he made Buizel suffer was proof of it.

"Poor thing. End its suffering. Use Energy Ball. Give it all.", Ash ordered feeling sorry for the helpless Buizel.

An iridescent green sphere made of crystal clear energy formed in front of Butterfree. It grew in size and then flew at Buizel. It exploded on contact clearing the Electro Web and knocking out the Buizel.

"Buizel is unable to battle. The Leader has to call out the last Pokémon now.", Daisy announced.

"Enough of this mockery. Dewgong, lets finish this right here.", Violet growled.

Dewgong that appeared from the Poke ball was surprisingly friendly as it waved at everyone before getting ready to battle.

Dewgong was a large sea lion with strong fins, long tail and thick fat. Its body adorned snow white fur. Two fangs were visible from its upper jaw and a pointed horn was situated on its head.

Ash realized that this was a real threat and quickly recalled Butterfree. He pulled out a silver chain from inside his shirt. It held a small locket and affixed on locket was a shrunk Poke ball.

'This one is cool. I'm glad I bought it. It enhances the style.', Ash thought while grinning mentally and pulled out the Poke ball. He enlarged and kissed the ball lightly.

"I see you still want to fight. I'll show you real battling. Lucario, lend me your Aura!", Ash growled and hurled his first Poke ball.

Lucario appeared with a bloodcurdling roar and stomped the platform making the whole pool shake. He snarled at the Dewgong and gave a slight nod to Ash.

"Dewgong, lets teach this kid some manners. Use Blizzard."

'Ice move at Steel and Fighting type Pokémon? Take it and then charge two Aura Spheres.'

Dewgong unleashed a vicious hail-storm that froze the top of whole pool and impacted Lucario with chunks of snow.

Lucario crossed his arms in front and grit his teeth as the powerful attack hit him with full force.

'Now release Aura Spheres to the sides and charge in.'

After a few seconds, Lucario gave a roar and extended his arms to the sides. Two huge Aura Spheres flew into the air cutting through the fading blizzard.

'What the hell is he doing?', Violet frowned.

Just as the Blizzard ended, Lucario rushed forward and started closing in on Dewgong.

"Water Pulse."

'Blast it with Thunderpunch.'

A huge ball of water flew at the Aura Pokémon who simply blocked it with an electrified fist.

The Aura Spheres flew in from the air and slammed into Dewgong with full force. The Ice type wailed in pain and charged aggressively using a Take Down attack.

'Blaze Kick to its face.'

**Take this you fool., **Lucario barked at the Water type and slammed his burning foot into the opponent's face who fell down in and writhed from the intense pain. Slowly it slowled down and fell unconscious.

"Dewgong is unable to continue. Lucario wins. The Challenger wins the match.", Daisy was sad about her sister being defeated so harshly but she also knew that Violet and Lily always were hard at Misty.

"Hmph…Pathetic! I expected some opposition. I thought the Gym Leader daring enough to insult a sibling would be able to back up their claims of being better. This was just a waste of time. Misty's Gyarados proves to be a far better opponent.", Ash smirked inwardly as he humiliated the girls. He knew that mentioning Misty's Gyarados would prove that they were weak compared to her.

As expected, the three widened their eyes. Ash saw from the corner of his eyes that Misty was walking at him.

She pulled out a badge from her own pocket and pinned it to his shirt, "Congratulations. I present you the Cascade Badge for officially defeating the Cerulean City Gym and humiliating the Sensational Sisters.", she scowled at the last past. Misty leaned towards Ash and pecked on his cheek, "Thank you Ash."

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**There goes the ninth chapter. As always, read and review guys.**

**This time's quiz is below:-**

**1-Four Pokémon those are immune to Toxic and Thunderwave.**

**2-Two fully evolved Pokémon that have immunity to damage dealing moves of three Types.**

**3-Only possible Type combination that can resist the combo of Ghost and Fighting.**

**4-The evolutionary line with most resistances and immunities.**

**5-The only method a Steel Pokémon can be poisoned.**

**See ya later guys. **


End file.
